McDonald’s pushed back against billionaire activist Carl Icahn who had criticized the fast food chain for sourcing pork from animals that were bred in crates. The burger chain told him to check the activities of a meat canning company Viskase where he is the major shareholder. He had not called for similar “animal rights” for that company but asked for better conditions at McDonalds where he has a minority stake.

On Sunday, in a news release, McDonald’s announced that Carl Icahn owned a majority stake in Viskase. This company manufactures packaging and casing for the pork and poultry industry. The statement said that “Mr. Icahn’s ownership” of Viskase had provided him with a unique exposure to the challenges that the industry faced and the opportunities available to migrate away from “gestation cases.”

The statement added that it was noteworthy that “Mr. Icahn” had not “publicly called” on Viskase to adopt commitments similar to those of McDonald’s 2012 commitment.”

Last week, Icahn a minority shareholder had made a big fuss about McDonald not keeping to its commitment of getting rid of gestation crates by 2022. He nominated two board members through a proxy battle on McDonald’s board, at the annual meeting held this year.

The two members are Leslie Samuelrich, who is a president at Green Century Capital Management. Her LinkedIn profile mentions the firm as an investment firm that is focused on the environment as well as on sustainability. The other member Maisie Ganzler is a chief strategy and brand officer at Bon Appetit Management, which is also a sustainable food service company, according to her profile on LinkedIn.

Gestation crates offer cramped conditions to pregnant sows. Although it is a common farm practice, Humane society calls it cruel as it prevents pregnant pigs from standing or turning around as they are confined to a small space.

Image Facebook Ichann

Image MCD