I agree it would be slightly less profitable, but I don't think that actually affects the number of cows killed. I don't think they kill some cows for tallow and other for beef. The tallow either gets thrown out or gets mixed into burgers. I would guess thrown out because McDonald's wants every burger identical and the taste would change with more fat added.
The tallow either gets thrown out or gets mixed into burgers
Can be used in other, less-profitable ways. McDonald's sells waste to other companies, they're not stupid. (I believe they're a little unusual in that they actually own the body processing facilities - normal restaurants buy from a distributor like US Foods, and the bodies are processed by their suppliers. Normally the question of "what to do with tallow" would be answered by a company like Tyson.)
If margins are thinner on murdering animals, and consumers can't stomach a cost increase, businesses running closer to the margin will die or adjust their behavior. In this case McDonald's might sell some of its processing plants (or terminate contracts that will cause partner factories to go out of business, at least some of them are not wholly owned).
This argument is stupid because you can flip it around any which way. "We can't stop eating burgers because otherwise the meat from the tallow cows would be wasted." If you're arguing for total McDonald's abolition that's cool I guess. Otherwise I encourage you to read some vegan theory. There's good stuff in /c/vegan sidebar. I have better things to do than argue with bloodmouths.
I really don't see them losing enough money it would make sense to sell their meat processing plants. I would also sure hope if we somehow decided we were never eating meat again on a systemic level we would finish the meat we already have rather than just let it rot. Anyway you've hit the nail on the head I want McDonald's totally abolished.
if tallow were not sold, it would be slightly less profitable to murder cows. "use the whole animal" arguments don't hold water
I agree it would be slightly less profitable, but I don't think that actually affects the number of cows killed. I don't think they kill some cows for tallow and other for beef. The tallow either gets thrown out or gets mixed into burgers. I would guess thrown out because McDonald's wants every burger identical and the taste would change with more fat added.
Much more likely is that they just sell it to someone else.
True, and that furthers my point it not a single cow is saved or dies based on tallow fries.
Can be used in other, less-profitable ways. McDonald's sells waste to other companies, they're not stupid. (I believe they're a little unusual in that they actually own the body processing facilities - normal restaurants buy from a distributor like US Foods, and the bodies are processed by their suppliers. Normally the question of "what to do with tallow" would be answered by a company like Tyson.)
If margins are thinner on murdering animals, and consumers can't stomach a cost increase, businesses running closer to the margin will die or adjust their behavior. In this case McDonald's might sell some of its processing plants (or terminate contracts that will cause partner factories to go out of business, at least some of them are not wholly owned).
This argument is stupid because you can flip it around any which way. "We can't stop eating burgers because otherwise the meat from the tallow cows would be wasted." If you're arguing for total McDonald's abolition that's cool I guess. Otherwise I encourage you to read some vegan theory. There's good stuff in /c/vegan sidebar. I have better things to do than argue with bloodmouths.
I really don't see them losing enough money it would make sense to sell their meat processing plants. I would also sure hope if we somehow decided we were never eating meat again on a systemic level we would finish the meat we already have rather than just let it rot. Anyway you've hit the nail on the head I want McDonald's totally abolished.