Vegan Rock Legend Kicks Off 'i'm hatin' it' Blitz Urging Company to Upgrade to Less Cruel Slaughter Standards

For Immediate Release:

August 21, 2009

Contact:

Kristina Addington 757-622-7382 

Salt Lake City -- Lunchtime diners at a downtown McDonald's will get some food for thought Monday as Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders launches a provocative PETA campaign. The singer will unveil her "i'm hatin' it" parody ad (soon to be on billboards across the country) and present kids with PETA's controversial "Unhappy Meals," which include a menacing "Ronald McDonald" cutout, a mangled plastic chicken, and a "blood"-filled packet that urges McDonald's to "Ketchup With the Times."

When:  Monday, August 24 at 12 noon

Where: McDonald's, 242 S. 700 E., Salt Lake City

Hynde and PETA are launching the campaign because McDonald's in the U.S. refuses to adopt the less cruel slaughter standards that the company already uses in Europe. McDonald's suppliers in this country use an outdated slaughter method that often causes birds to suffer broken wings and broken legs, have their throats cut while they are still conscious, and be scalded to death in defeathering tanks. PETA--along with McDonald's own animal welfare advisory panel--has urged the company to require a less cruel slaughter method called "controlled-atmosphere killing" (CAK), which eliminates the worst abuses that birds suffer.

"McDonald's means McCruelty as far as I’m concerned," says longtime PETA spokesperson Chrissie Hynde. The rock star is also using her stage as a platform to urge a McDonald's boycott and will toss "i'm hatin' it" shirts to her audience. On Sunday, her world tour arrives in Salt Lake City, where she is playing at Red Butte Garden.

Broadcast-quality video of a chicken slaughterhouse is available. For more information, please visit McCruelty.com or PETA.org.