Our commitment to quality...
did you know?
In 2005 over 17,200 British and Irish farmers helped supply us with ingredients for our menu items.
We know that our customers are more interested than ever in the food you choose in our restaurants and where it comes from.
At McDonald's™ we believe passionately in providing high quality food, using the best raw ingredients, working with suppliers we know and trust, and ensuring consistent preparation standards. This section is designed to tell the story of our food from the field right through to when it's served at the front counter.
Our menu is very simple. We use the same high quality brand names and household staples as you, such as meat, fish, potatoes, eggs, milk, vegetables, and grain, and we are very proud that every day over 2 million customers enjoy the high quality food ingredients that make our menu range taste great.
Our food...
did you know?
In 2005 our bakeries used 10,000 tonnes of UK grown flour milled from 13,700 tonnes of wheat.
To us, food quality begins at the very first link in the supply chain whether this is dairy cattle, lettuce seedlings or the flour used in our buns. We have a highly trained team of professionals who work very closely with our supplier partners to develop and maintain the high standards of food quality, safety and traceability.
All of our raw ingredients have to meet strict specifications; every detail of production, transport, delivery and preparation is extensively monitored.
In 2005 our UK supply chain spent over £425 million ensuring we delivered high quality menu choices to our customers 364 days of the year, and as we have a preference to source locally where possible, in 2005 over 17,200 dedicated British and Irish farmers helped us do just that!
So when you are next enjoying a Big Mac™ - rest assured - we are able to trace which farms the beef came from, the farmers' names and how the animals were reared. We know which field the lettuce was grown in and even what the weather was like while it was growing!
Our Beef...
did you know?
All beef is sourced from facilities that have been audited by both our suppliers and independent auditors such as the European Food Safety Inspection Service (EFSIS).
We use 100% beef in our hamburgers, bought from farms accredited by nationally recognised farm assurance schemes. We only use whole cuts of forequarter and flank, with nothing added. They are great for taste and flavour.
Skilled butchers prepare the beef taking care to trim the meat to our standards prior to delivery to the company that makes the hamburger patties.
The mincing, although on a large scale, is basically the same as found in a butcher's shop or a mincer at home - nothing is added - no binders, no fillers, no additives.
The mince is shaped into patties, frozen immediately and packed ready for distribution. Thorough quality checks are made on every batch.
We use two-sided hot plates to cook our hamburgers, no extra fat is added during cooking. Then we simply season them with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Our Chicken...
did you know?
In 2005, 75 British farms provided boneless breast meat for our Chicken McNuggets and McChicken Sandwich.
All our suppliers are subject to the same high standards. Approved suppliers must have a fully integrated supply chain to ensure full control over all aspects of our chicken farming, including feed and animal welfare.
The feed used for rearing our chickens is not genetically modified and is free from antibiotic growth promoters. Diets are carefully formulated by experienced nutritionists, with bird health regularly monitored by veterinary personnel.
McDonald's have in place strict animal welfare standards, developed with our suppliers and global animal welfare experts. Chickens are reared on selected farms which are regularly audited.
The only meat used for our Chicken McNuggets™, and McChicken™ Premiere, is carefully boned chicken breast. The highest standards are assured with rigorous quality checks and inspections.
Our free range eggs...
did you know?
In 2003 McDonald's received the 'Good Egg Award' from the British Free Range Egg Producers' Association which recognises McDonald's commitment to animal welfare.
We are committed to using high quality ingredients and maintaining industry leading animal welfare standards. For this reason, all of the eggs used in our breakfast menu and sauces are free range.
In 2005 these free range eggs come from over 100 UK producers, 80% of which are independent farmers on small, family farms.
We take care to ensure that all of our free range eggs conform to the Lion Mark code of practice and an independently audited free range Farm Assurance scheme.
CASE STUDY
NAME: Helen
Helen and her husband David are independent producers who have been supplying McDonald's with free range eggs since 2003. They started 'The Lakes Free Range Egg Company' located in Penrith in 1997 when they decided to concentrate on farming free range eggs. Starting with 200 hens, 37 farms now supply the lakes.
The Lakes, and their enterprise has been a boost to local farmers who have had to diversify from the more traditional mixed farming practices in the Lake District.
Our milk...
did you know?
In 2005 we bought over 46 million litres of milk shake mix, McFlurry mix and semi-skimmed organic bottled milk.
All the milk for our milkshakes, McFlurries and organic milk bottles is sourced from farms in Britain and Ireland. Milk is an exceptional drink. It can make an important contribution to the diets of children and teenagers and provides a great source of calcium.
Experts say that a daily glass of semi-skimmed milk provides a six-year-old with all the vitamin B12; around half of the calcium, phosphorus and vitamin B2; about one third of the protein, potassium and iodine; and around one tenth of the vitamin A, vitamin B1, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, magnesium and zinc they need each day.
CASE STUDY
NAME: David
David, one of the farmers who supplies us with milk for our bottles, decided to go organic because it suited his method of farming. He was worried about the effect of pesticides on the environment and preferred to farm in a way that is more in tune with nature.
David has 140 Holstein Friesian dairy cows that are fed on a natural diet which includes clover and grass. He never uses GM feed and only uses medication when the cows are actually ill. So he believes his cows are happier and live longer.
Our potatoes...
did you know?
In 2005 295 producers grew 165,000 tonnes of potatoes across the country from the early crop in the West to the main crop in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
McDonald's famous French fries are made from only the best quality potatoes such as Russet Burbank, Shepody and Pentland Dell, the vast majority of which are grown in the UK. In spring high-grade seed tubers are planted in specially prepared seed beds designed to give them the perfect start in life.
Over the next 120-170 days the crops are grown with loving care and attention by over 295 dedicated producers complying with nationally endorsed assurance schemes.
When the crops reach maturity they are carefully harvested and either turned into our French fries within hours or stored for use during the months ahead.
The unique shape and size of the Russet Burbank, Shepody and Pentland Dell potatoes leads to our characteristically good length golden fries.
Our lettuce...
did you know?
For half the year the Iceberg is grown in the UK and in 2005 we needed 9 million heads of lettuce grown on 280 hectares of English farmland.
We choose to use Iceberg lettuce for our main sandwiches because of its sweet flavour, crisp texture and popularity, and we use at least six varieties of lettuce in our Premium salads.
Our lettuce seedlings start their life in a small fertile peat block, planted in specially prepared fields.
The key to good quality lettuce is distance between plants, warmth, and the quality and length of daylight. It takes approximately 50 days for the lettuce to reach the correct shape and size.
The English growing season runs from the start of May to the end of October and East Anglia and Sussex provide the ideal growing conditions. Out of season from October to May when the weather is colder we source mainly from Spain.
During harvesting the lettuce is quickly cooled to 2°C to retain crispness. In the summer months, lettuce is available for preparation within two hours.
The lettuce is prepared in a temperature controlled environment to maintain freshness. It is thoroughly washed in chilled potable water and during the UK growing season sent to our distribution centres within 24 hours after harvest.
In the UK we encourage good environmental practice, for example water recycling is used to irrigate the crops during the summer months, while the waste lettuce is used as compost.
