PETA Asks Jack in the Box to Kill Chickens With a Less Cruel Method

Shareholder Resolution Asks Fast-Food Chain to Act to Reduce Animal Suffering 

For Immediate Release:
February 11, 2010

Contact:
Stephanie Corrigan 757-622-7382

San Diego -- PETA, which owns stock in Jack in the Box Inc., will attend the fast-food chain's annual meeting today at 2 p.m. at the Marriot Courtyard to present a shareholder resolution asking the company to reduce the cruelty suffered by the chickens who end up in its meals. PETA wants Jack in the Box to require its suppliers to set a firm timeline for switching to a less cruel method of poultry slaughter called "controlled-atmosphere killing" (CAK). The fast-food company operates or franchises about 2,200 Jack in the Box restaurants and 500 Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurants with total annual sales of $2.5 billion.

Currently, chickens killed for Jack in the Box are dumped onto conveyor belts and slammed upside down by their legs into metal shackles--a procedure that often results in broken wings and broken legs. The birds' heads are run through an electrified bath that immobilizes them but does not render them insensible to pain. They are still conscious when their throats are cut, and many are scalded to death in defeathering tanks.

In CAK, the oxygen that chickens and turkeys breathe is slowly replaced with a nonpoisonous gas mixture that puts the birds "to sleep." As a result, they do not experience any of the pain of live dumping, live shackling, or live scalding. Studies conclude that CAK is the least cruel form of poultry slaughter and that it also improves working conditions by eliminating the chickens' struggles.

"With one decision, Jack in the Box could stop causing immense suffering to the birds who end up in its meals," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Many consumers care about animal welfare, so the last thing that the company needs is to be associated with animal abuse."

KFCs in Canada, restaurant chains such as Ruby Tuesday, and grocery chains such as Safeway, Harris Teeter, and Winn-Dixie are already purchasing birds killed by CAK. McDonald's in Europe also has suppliers that use CAK.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.