Petition of the Week: Tell McDonald's You Do Not Want Pesticides With Your Fries
McDonald's claims that their potatoes are produced sustainably, but rural residents in central Minnesota know differently: pesticide drift from potato fields is a major problem. Hazardous pesticides applied to McDonald's potatoes may cause chronic health problems, damage nearby crops and livestock, and disrupt local ecosystems. Tell McDonald's to do the right thing and transition to truly sustainable potato production.
A group of Minnesotans calling themselves the Toxic Taters Coalition is tired of putting up with toxic chemicals and pesticides drifting into their yards, schools and farms—the result of the frequent spraying of potato fields by companies growing non-organic potatoes. The coalition says it’s time for McDonald’s—the largest buyer of potatoes in the U.S.—to keep the promise it made in 2009 to reduce pesticide use in the production of the company’s famous fries. How? By demanding that the companies that supply its potatoes, like R.D. Offutt Company (RDO), change their ways.
McDonald’s buys more than 3.4 billion pounds of U.S.-grown potatoes every year. The multi-billion dollar fast food chain has the power to create change in potato-producing regions all across the country. All it has to do is require its potato suppliers to implement proven strategies to reduce the use of pesticides. It’s time to get potatoes off of the list of the top 10 toxic fruits and vegetables.
And McDonald’s can help. TAKE ACTION: Tell McDonald’s: Stop Toxic Pesticide Drift. Require Your Potato Producers to Reduce Pesticide Use.
