McDonald's Egg Swap & Sensivores Rising

A few years ago, I coined the term "sensivore" (a portmanteau for those of you who know their Lewis Carroll) to reference the "sensitive carnivore" movement I saw emerging. That trend continues today, with folks regularly raising issues related to the humane treatment of livestock, hens, etc. raised for slaughter, dairy and so on. Today, more consumers—and by turn, the retail and foodservice manufacturing companies who serve those consumers—scrutinize each step from farm to fork and increasingly aspire to eradicate perceptually unnecessary abuses that exist in the process.

The latest move along these lines came this week as McDonald's—along with Cargill, Target and others—dropped Sparboe Farms as a supplier after FDA issued the supplier a warning letter and a video shot by undercover animal-rights activists hit national wires revealing the sorry state of the operation (ABC scooped this story; its coverage is online). As The Motley Fool notes this morning, this process routinely includes a special-interest whistle-blowing factor. (Related aside: This was the case with that Hallmark downer cattle video. Now after pressure from the industry, the U.S. Supreme Court is reevaluating the decision to mandate euthanizing downer cattle. Strong lobbies tend to elicit response… Stay tuned for more on that issue…) TMF columnist Alyce Lomax also notes that several highly notable companies, like Subway, Unilever, Kraft, Burger King and Sara Lee, have made similar sensivorian switches in recent months.