An old PETA video showing mistreatment of Butterball turkeys under a previous owner went viral on social media ahead of Thanksgiving, leading to returns and calls for a boycott.
On Thursday, millions of families will sit down for a dinner that, in general, centers around turkey. And in a sizable portion of those homes, Butterball will be the turkey they devour.
But with just days remaining until Thanksgiving feasts, the poultry producer has found itself in the middle of a PR crisis from almost two decades ago when the company was under a previous owner.
On Friday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) posted to its Instagram account a graphic Butterball turkey video,which has since gone viral on social media and stirred up a maelstrom of protests.
The footage shows then-employees of the company abusing live turkeys at a plant in Ozark, Arkansas.