Butterball, a popular turkey company, is facing calls for a boycott ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday amid allegations of animal abuse that are circulating online.
The claims about animal abuse stem from a video that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an animal rights organization, shared on its X and Instagram accounts in November. That video accuses Butterball employees of abusing turkeys.
“Do you know what happened to your Butterball turkey before they were killed?” the videos’ caption says.
A VERIFY reader texted us to ask if Butterball turkeys have been recalled amid the abuse allegations. Google Trends data show other people online are also wondering if there’s a recall on Butterball turkeys.
THE QUESTION
Have Butterball turkeys been recalled amid abuse allegations?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, Butterball turkeys have not been recalled amid abuse allegations.
WHAT WE FOUND
There isn’t a recall for Butterball turkeys, a spokesperson for the company and federal government websites confirm. The video circulating online alleging animal abuse is nearly 20 years old.
If any food products were recalled, federal health officials would post notices on their websites. But that hasn’t happened as of Tuesday, Nov. 26.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) websites do not list any recent recalls for Butterball turkeys.
A Butterball spokesperson also confirmed to VERIFY that none of the company’s products are recalled.
The video accusing Butterball employees of abusing turkeys that sparked recall concerns is almost 20 years old, the company spokesperson said.
"We are aware of a video from nearly 20 years ago, which is being re-shared across social media. This video is not current and was taken prior to Butterball becoming a private company and prior to our engagement and certification through American Humane,” the spokesperson told VERIFY.
“Eleven years ago, Butterball was the first, and remains the only, turkey company to be American Humane certified. That means we have yearly audits conducted by a third party to ensure compliance with our 200+ science-based standards of best practice for care of turkeys, well exceeding industry best practices,” they added.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has a longer version of the video alleging turkey abuse posted on its website. That webpage links out to an article where PETA details an undercover investigation into a Butterball slaughterhouse in Ozark, Arkansas, that occurred nearly 20 years ago, from April to July 2006.
During the undercover investigation, PETA investigators “documented that Butterball workers punched and stomped on live turkeys, slammed them against walls, and worse,” the animal rights organization said.
In response to the old video recirculating online, the Butterball spokesperson added that the company has a “zero-tolerance policy for animal mistreatment."
The VERIFY team works to separate fact from fiction so that you can understand what is true and false. Please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter, text alerts and our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Learn More »