Burger King’s new ad is blowing up in the ag community — and not in a good way

Burger King claims that its new ad, which has now been posted across its social media networks, is an effort to improve the environmental impact of beef. What it does is make beef production as we know it today to be a villain — all to the tune of a cutesy, colorful video that talks about “cow farts” and methane release. What Burger King doesn’t tell you is that farmers and ranchers have already long been improving per-unit methane emissions from livestock, which has been in marked decline since 1990, while livestock producers have also increased productivity.
But that would clash with BK trying to show that it’s wanting to be “squeaky clean” — even as its young cowboy-clad guitarist begins the video coming out of the hindquarters of a cow:

https://youtu.be/x6xDv8RX87A

Some companies simply never learn when it comes to using children to bash a competing product or to deceptively market a concept. The tactic backfired spectacularly two years ago when Stonyfield tried it, causing the food company to expend countless resources doing online damage control. In its ad, Burger King’s central point is to say that it will change its cattle’s diet by adding lemongrass to reduce their emissions by approximately 33 percent. But, after Ermias Kebreab, an Associate Dean at the University of California-Davis, came onto Twitter to cast doubt on the fast-food giant’s ad, people were really left scratching their heads as to why BK would pull the trigger on this campaign. Overall, while reducing emissions is a great thing (of course!), the fact that the video ad makes current agricultural practices sound sinister is what has agitated many in the ag community...MORE

Burger King Will Start DNA Testing for Horse Meat

Just to be clear: Burger King (BKW) says there is no horse meat in its burgers. And just to make sure, Burger King tells Bloomberg Businessweek, it plans to test its beef patties for foreign DNA, including horse, pork, and lamb. Details for DNA testing have not been worked out, and no timeline has been set for implementing the new procedures, says Diego Beamonte, Burger King’s vice president of global quality. Burger King will test specifically for equine DNA following revelations that food processor Silvercrest Foods sold beef products containing horse meat to other retailers, including Tesco (TESO). Both companies have severed ties with Silvercrest, and Tesco has also said it will do DNA testing on all of its meat products. Burger King said in a statement today that while the beef it sent to a lab in Germany earlier this month tested negative for any equine DNA, it decided to drop Silvercrest after learning this week that a small percentage of beef the vendor had sold to the chain came from a non-approved supplier in Poland, rather than the 100 percent British and Irish beef patties it had undertaken to provide. While samples taken from the Silvercrest plant contained equine DNA, Burger King says this product was never sold to its restaurants...more

The "100 percent British and Irish beef patties" are for Burger King restaurants in the U.K, Ireland and Denmark.

Burger King's official statement says while only "trace amounts" were found, they have "transitioned all of our restaurants in the UK, Ireland and Denmark to other BURGER KING(R) approved suppliers from Germany and Italy as a precaution."

I had no ideal that Poland, Germany and Italy produce "100 percent British and Irish beef patties".

Just wait until they find out what's in those "French" fries.

And now for those Burger King restaurants in China...