After watching the documentary Super-Size Me, I stopped eating at McDonald's; mostly because of health reasons but also because I no longer wanted to contribute to a company that causes that kind of damage to people, especially me. I find it kind of like paying your enemy to hurt you. Now as if that were not enough, McDonald's has actually found another reason for me, and many others around the world, to stop eating their food and sponsoring their destruction machine. According to Greenpeace forests campaign co-ordinator, Gavin Edwards, "Fast food giants like McDonald's are trashing the Amazon for cheap meat. Every time you buy a Chicken McNugget you could be taking a bite out of the Amazon." (1)

As part of a one-year-long campaign, Greenpeace has been investigating the global trade in Amazon soya which have been published in a new report entitled "Eating up the Amazon." For those of you wondering why it matters that deforestation occurs in the Amazon, ask yourself whether or not you think we have a global warming problem. If you do, then you should be concerned as plants and trees, through photosynthesis, are the only mechanism the earth has to reduce the levels of carbon dioxide (the main greenhouse gas culprit) in our atmosphere. There are also plenty of other reasons why many consider the destruction of the Amazon rainforest to be a big issue, however, there are so many that I will have to leave that discussion for another entry.

So what exactly is McDonald's being accused of? Greenpeace, using some mission impossible-style spying techniques, including satellite images, aerial surveillance, previously unreleased government documents and on-the-ground monitoring, says that they have been able to trace the animal feed used for McDonald's chickens to land that was once rainforest.(1)

"Three U.S. commodities giants, Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge and Cargill, which control most of Europe's soya market, are fueling the rainforest destruction to grow feed for animals in Europe," Greenpeace said today.(1) You guys remember ADM and Cargill right? They are two of the three company's who have recently been accused of using slave child labor by the International Labor Rights Funds. It should not come as such a shock to me but it does. I cannot believe that there are companies out there that care so little about life and so much about profits that they condone this type of action. Actually what surprises me more is that we are the ones that help them make such ridiculous profits.

According to Greenpeace, "Cargill has illegally built its own port in the heart of the Amazon, from which it exports the soya to the Cargill terminal in Liverpool, UK. From there, the soya goes to Cargill-owned food producer, Sun Valley, which feeds the soya to the chickens it uses to make McNuggets, which it distributes to McDonald's restaurants across Europe." (1) McDonald's has not denied that its chicken are fed on Amazon Soya even though Greenpeace has asked them to account for their feed three months ago.

"Greenpeace research shows that not only is soya destroying the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, but soya farmers are guilty of further crimes including slavery and the invasion of indigenous peoples’ lands. The charge of slavery originates in the work of poorly paid laborers who become deeply indebted to their employers for high cost food and other goods... This crime stretches from the heart of the Amazon across the entire European food industry. Supermarkets and fast food giants, like McDonald's, must make sure their food is free from the links to the Amazon destruction, slavery and human rights abuses." (1)

For those of you who would like to learn more, here is the Greenpeace Amazon Soya Crime File and the full report of "Eating up the Amazon"

Photo courtesy of Greenpeace
(1) Greenpeace links mcdonald's with amazon destruction. (2006). Environmental News Serice, . Retrieved Apr 11, 2006, from http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2006/2006-04-06-01.asp