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Talk of the bay

PETA spokesman confronts Outback chairman at meeting

By SCOTT BARANCIK
Published May 2, 2005

Over the years, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has successfully used shaming tactics and boycott threats to force restaurant chains such as McDonald's and Burger King to adopt more humane standards for farm animals.

But the nonprofit is having a tougher time getting Outback Steakhouse to knuckle under.

At the Tampa company's annual shareholders meeting last week, PETA spokesman David Benjamin used the question-and-answer segment to put Outback chairman Chris Sullivan on the spot. Would Sullivan disclose the members of its recently formed panel on beef-cattle issues? Would he be willing to post on Outback's Web site the ethical standards to which the company holds its meat suppliers? Would he publish results of compliance audits?

It was the second-straight year PETA has used Outback's shareholders meeting as a platform for airing its demands.

Sullivan appeared not to appreciate the tactic. He interrupted Benjamin's long-winded setup once, and when the PETA representative finally posed his questions, Sullivan punted, other than to call PETA's views "very extreme."

Outback 1, Cows 0.

PETA's not quitting, however. Benjamin said the group plans to urge Outback and others to adopt a new, more humane method of slaughtering chickens, which he called the most abused food animal. "It's a really wonderful system, the controlled-atmosphere killing," he said.

And if Outback doesn't relent soon on the issues raised last week, Benjamin added, PETA probably will turn to its next level of engagement: the shareholder resolution.

"We always try to have a progression," he said.

[Last modified April 29, 2005, 19:32:02]