Having come to the United States when I was nine, McDonald’s was one of the few familiar experiences I could rely on for a nostalgic sense of home. While some of the food varied, I remember the chicken mcnuggets, a lifetime favorite, being the exact same.

As you can imagine, it was quite a disappointment for me, when I recently found out just HOW these chicken nuggets are actually made.

Chickens destined for McDonald’s menu items live a life of complete misery from the start of their life to the end. They live their short lives crammed in dark windowless sheds with thousands of other chickens. With nowhere to go, they are forced to live in their own waste - waste that is so toxic, it causes ammonia burns on their bodies. To make matters even worse, these chickens are bred to grow so large so fast that they suffer from painful injuries and debilitating diseases.

But, it doesn’t have to be this way.

As one of the most influential companies in the world, McDonald’s has the power to change this reality and impact the lives of millions of chickens for the better,  by producing a welfare policy with comprehensive and measurable chicken welfare improvements.I know McDonald’s is a company that is able and willing to adapt to change as is evident with the McVegan in Finland and Sweden. Giving chickens a better life is a small step for a company as large and powerful as McDonald’s, but the benefits won’t just affect the chickens, you will also be applauded for making better quality foods accessible to billions of people and tap into the ever-growing market of people looking for better quality food.

I hope you will join me in urging McDonald’s to do the right thing and be a leader for the chickens and its customers and produce a meaningful chicken welfare policy!