McDonald’s France put ‘on notice’ over Brazilian suppliers

McDonald’s France has been put “on notice” to comply with duty of care laws by French and Brazilian unions who accuse the fast food giant’s suppliers of poor social and environmental practices. Unions the CGT, the UGT and CUT on Wednesday gave McDonald’s France three months to publish a vigilance plan as is legally required by large companies operating in France and abroad. They say the company is guilty of “attacks on human rights, fundamental freedoms, the health and safety of people and the environment”. This concerns its activities both in France and with regards to certain Brazilian subcontractors supplying coffee, orange juice and soy intended for animal feed.

‘Harassment’

  Concerning its operations in France, McDonald’s was accused of failing to follow up on numerous cases of sexual harassment within its restaurants. “The CGT, UGT and CUT have written to the head of McDonald’s French subsidiary and to its American managing director asking that a vigilance plan be published within three months,” the unions said.

• McDonald’s France accused of targeting children with hidden advertising
• French supermarket giant Casino sued over links to Amazon deforestation

  The accusations were first made in a recent report by the local NGO Repórter Brasil, created to denounce recurrent violations of fundamental rights of people and workers in the country. “Do you eat at McDonalds? An unprecedented report by shows that the network has suppliers with a history of deforestation, precarious work and even the use of slave labor,” the NGO wrote in a tweetWednesday. Since March 2017, France has forced its biggest companies to publish plans to prevent risks related to their activities and serious violations of rights as part of their duty of care.