Burger Kings deny global warming

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Several Burger King restaurants in and around Memphis, Tenn., were seen displaying the message "Global warming is baloney" on their signs, according to the Memphis Flyer .

The Memphis Flyer's Chris Davis spoke with an employee at one of the two Burger King locations where he saw the signs. The employee told Davis that the sign was not a mistake or prank and reflected the opinion of the Burger King company. Another "global warming" sign was seen by a Consumerist reader in the Memphis suburbs.

The Consumerist contacted Burger King's corporate offices, which responded with this statement: "This statement does not reflect a Burger King Corp. (BKC) opinion or view. The two restaurants where these signs appeared are independently owned and operated and were not authorized to display this statement. The signs have since been removed."

According to a follow-up report in the Memphis Flyer , the "global warming" signs were spotted at several area Burger King locations by readers. The stores are all owned by MIC, a Memphis-based fast-food management company. MIC did not respond to the Memphis Flyer's request for a comment.

While "Global warming is baloney" is not an official stance of the Burger King company, the chain got low marks from Climate Counts, an organization that rates companies' actions on climate change. Climate Counts gave Burger King a score of zero in all four of its categories and said it "found no public information to indicate that Burger King has started to measure the impact it has on global warming (i.e., its greenhouse gas emissions or climate footprint)."