Will McDonald's hamburgers be made of clones? As part of the company's recently launched "See What We're Made Of" campaign, consumers are invited to learn about the ingredients that make up McDonald's menu. However, McDonald's has no policy on milk and meat from cloned animals or their offspring, which means that consumers will have no way of knowing if that McDonald's BigMac® is laced with the animal cruelty associated with cloning.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the sale of cloned animals and their offspring for food in January 2008, amidst fierce opposition from animal and consumer advocacy groups, environmental organizations, the public, the dairy industry, and Congress. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), however, has asked that producers continue to withhold cloned animals, but not their offspring, from the food supply while farmers, processors, grocery stores, and restaurants determine how they will respond to the FDA's decision.

This means that food companies are now formulating their policies on cloned foods. As questions about traceability, labeling, and whether to support or reject cloning are being debated, most companies are waiting to see how consumers react before taking a position. So, AAVS is encouraging concerned citizens to take advantage of this period to make their voices heard for the animals! While all animals raised for food are subject to cruelty, cloning raises the suffering to an unprecedented level. With cloning, however, consumers are in a unique position of power.

It would be an incredible victory for animals if McDonald's, one of the world's most well-known brands, refused to buy meat or dairy products from cloned animals or their offspring. With more than 30,000 restaurants serving 52 million people in more than 100 countries each day, McDonald's exerts tremendous purchasing power and has stated that it wants to be an industry leader on improving animal welfare.

Help McDonald's set the right example worldwide. We have a limited time before products from cloned animals and their offspring infiltrate our food supply. Your action is urgently needed so that restaurants, grocery stores, and food companies can know that you do not want animals cloned for food.

What You Can Do!
Please urge McDonald's to be an industry leader and make a public pledge that cloned animals and their offspring will never be part of McDonald's menu. Send an email to McDonald's through www.aavs.org or send a sample letter.