Burger King Suppliers Allegedly Ordered Deforestation To Grow Feed For Livestock

The sight of a bulldozer knocking down greenery to make way for development is (unfortunately) not an uncommon sight in today's world. But a new report from activist campaign group Mighty Earth has attached a name to the rampant deforestation trend in Brazil and Bolivia: Burger King. The report claims that Cargill and Bunge, both of which are major suppliers of the fast-food chain, were behind the deforestation of millions of acres of land to make way for soybean farmland to feed livestock, according to The Guardian.

"The connections are quite clear. Bunge and Cargill supply Burger King and other big meat sellers with grain. McDonald's, Subway, and KFC are not perfect, but they're doing a hell of a lot more to protect the forests," Glenn Hurowitz, Mighty Earth's CEO, said in a statement. "If Burger King does not respond immediately to people who want to know where their food comes from, then people should shop elsewhere."

Pizza Hut and McDonald's have both made promises to help stop deforestation by committing to sustainable palm oil.

Last year alone, more than two million acres of forest land in Bolivia and nearly five million acres of land in Brazil were cleared to make way for farmland and other developments.

"In Brazil, we have seen great progress as we partnered to advance the soy moratorium in the Amazon for more than a decade," Cargill said in a press statement. "Today, we are working with more than 15,000 soy farmers and collaborating with governments, NGOs, and partners to implement the Brazilian forest code and advance forest protection."

Burger King did not respond in time for comment.