On Monday, I stood peacefully in silence with other protesters on the sidewalk outside the McDonald’s near the Market Place Shopping Center in Champaign, taking part in a nationwide campaign requesting that the fast food giant ensure better treatment of chickens raised for McNuggets and other menu items.

The wording on our signs ranged from “Animal cruelty: Chicken McNuggets’ secret ingredient” to “Animal cruelty: I’m hatin’ it.”

Motivation for the event came in August, when animal advocacy organization Mercy For Animals released a graphic video available at McDonaldsCruelty.com that is making viewers think twice about eating that next chicken nugget.

Filmed at a contract farm of McDonald’s chicken supplier Tyson Foods, the video depicts two employees walking through an overcrowded shed to stab live birds with a spiked stick and drop them into a bucket, presumably to die slowly.

Both Tyson and McDonald’s cut ties with the contractor after the video’s release, but neither company has made a public plan to significantly improve the welfare of chickens raised for meat.

To many residents of the Champaign-Urbana area like myself, the way McDonald’s treats chickens is disturbing and it pushes us to prefer eating at more compassionate restaurants whenever possible. In Urbana, The Red Herring and Dancing Dog both offer a fully plant-based menu, free of animal cruelty.

And statewide, restaurants like McDonald’s may begin to find increasing competition from other such enterprises; in Chicago, fast-casual vegan venture Native Foods now serves five different locations with a delicious and convenient alternative.

Sean Hennessy is a master’s student in ACES.

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