Questions answered
There are 128 questions about “Suppliers” in the “How do you operate?” topic.
Click on a question to read our answer.
- 76. Can you outline McDonald's current ethical sourcing initiatives and areas where you are considering for the future?
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One of McDonald’s recent initiatives has been the switch to using Kenco Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee because the Rainforest Alliance programme takes a holistic approach to the supply chain. Because farms are certified based on social and environmental standards that guide farmers towards long-term sustainable farm management, the quality of the coffee produced is generally higher. This means that McDonald’s customers get competitively-priced high quality Arabica coffee that has been produced sustainably according to standards that benefit coffee farmers and the environment.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 77. I have heard that there is a lot of forest destruction in the USA to grow GM crops to feed cattle in the USA. Does any of your beef here, or in the USA, come from cattle which is fed from forest destroying crops or GM feed?
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McDonald’s UK beef cattle are fed on a diet of grass, root crops and cereals. Occasionally young cattle may be fed a feed ration which may have a small amount of soya included to provide protein. This soya may come from GM crops grown in the USA or South America, depending on the harvest and availability. Please bear in mind that because the animals may be fed on GM soya, it doesn't mean that their derived meat and milk are genetically modified. However, as a company, McDonald’s takes steps to make sure that it does not source from recently deforested areas. What’s more, after discussions with McDonald’s, Greenpeace and other NGOs, the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries and the National Association of Grain Exporters and their members have agreed not to trade soya from deforested areas within the Amazon as of October 2006. As this website has been set up by McDonald’s UK, the company can’t really comment on practices in the US. Please go to the ‘Contact Us’ section of the McDonald’s US website – www.mcdonalds.com - for information on how to get in touch with them directly.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 78. What is the name of the coffe you use in the hot drinks, is it kenco and if so what type of kenco?
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McDonald’s has recently changed to Kenco Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee which means that customers can drink high quality, freshly ground Arabica coffee in every McDonald’s restaurant in the UK. The Rainforest Alliance certification means that customers can rest assured that this coffee has been produced in a way that benefits coffee growers, their communities and the environment. To find out more about the Rainforest Alliance, visit www.rainforest-alliance.org
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 79. does any of your food like the meat come form wales?
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Yes, a proportion of McDonald’s food comes from Wales. One of the company’s beef suppliers is located in South Wales drawing from farmers across the region. In fact, you can see one of the Quality Scouts, Jane Eyres’ visit to a Welsh beef farmer that supplies McDonald’s on this website – click on ‘Quality Scouts’ at the top of the homepage. Bakery products are produced in Wales and some of the cheddar cheese that is used to make the company’s cheese slices comes from a creamery in Wales as well as a number of free range egg producers that supply eggs for McDonald’s breakfasts.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 80. where do you make your products?
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McDonald’s sources products from many different places. The company’s policy is to source ingredients locally whenever possible - last year over 17,200 British and Irish farmers supplied ingredients for McDonald’s menu items. In fact, over 70 percent of the annual food spend is with suppliers from the British Isles. All the pork and milk is supplied from British farms. The lettuce and salad that McDonald’s uses is supplied by growers in the UK in spring and summer. In winter they come from Spain. The carrots are from UK growers for 11 months of the year, and from France for one month of the year. The chickens are reared by UK, mainland Europe and Brazilian farmers. All cattle for McDonald’s hamburgers are reared in the UK and Ireland. McDonald’s has a dedicated beef processor in the UK, called Esca. The French Fries are supplied by two suppliers and they use over 165,000 tonnes of potatoes from British growers. All McDonald’s sandwiches and salads are freshly prepared in McDonald’s restaurants with the supplied ingredients.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 81. So did you switch coffee suppliers because of environmental and social problems with the coffee you were sourcing previously?
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No. McDonald’s is continuously looking for ways to improve the quality of the food and beverages it offers its customers, and the sustainability of its supply chain. Switching to Kenco Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee enables the company to do this.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 82. Will customers have to pay more for their coffee as a result of switching to Rainforest Alliance?
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No. Customers will see no difference to the price of their coffee as a result of the switch to Kenco Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 83. What does the change to Kenco Rainforest Alliance coffee mean for McDonald’s customers?
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The change to Rainforest Alliance certified Kenco coffee means that our customers can drink high quality, freshly ground Arabica coffee in every McDonald’s restaurant in the UK. The Rainforest Alliance certification means that customers can rest assured that this coffee has been produced in a way that benefits coffee growers, their communities and the environment.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 84. Where will the coffee be sourced from?
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McDonald’s Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee will be supplied by Kenco, and will be sourced from Brazil and Colombia.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 85. Do farmers in the Rainforest Alliance programme benefit economically?
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Farmers in the Rainforest Alliance programme benefit economically, because they learn to control costs and farm more efficiently. In most cases, the programme helps increase productivity, meaning more coffee to sell, and in most cases, the programme helps improve quality, meaning the coffee commands a higher price. Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee generally brings a significant premium over the market price. Protecting the environment and treating workers well brings economic benefits. For example, preserving forest patches on the farm increases the supply of fresh water and provides homes for pollinating insects, which can increase the harvest. Healthy, happy, well-paid, well-trained workers are more efficient and productive.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 86. How does the Rainforest Alliance fare generally when compared to Fairtrade?
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The two are not directly comparable. Rainforest Alliance certification focuses on the way that coffee farms are managed, whereas Fairtrade emphasises how products are traded. The Rainforest Alliance’s certification standards focus on social and environmental standards that guide farmers towards long-term sustainable farm management. This helps to improve the lives of coffee growers and protect the environment in coffee growing regions, which in turn will support the sustainability of the coffee market.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 87. Why didn’t McDonald’s choose to go Fairtrade?
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McDonald’s chose to switch to Kenco Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee because the programme takes a holistic approach to supply chain sustainability. Because farms are certified based on social and environmental standards that guide farmers towards long-term sustainable farm management, the quality of the coffee produced is generally higher. This means that McDonald’s customers get competitively-priced high quality Arabica coffee that has been produced sustainably according to standards that benefit coffee farmers and the environment. McDonald’s firmly believes that the Rainforest Alliance’s focus on social and environmental standards and sustainable farm management complements its own supply chain principles.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 88. Is there an average price that the farmers would receive for their crop? Would this typically be above the prevailing commodity price?
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Rather than emphasising how products are traded, the Rainforest Alliance certifies coffee farms according to social and environmental standards. These standards guide farmers toward sustainable farm management. The standards cover all aspects of production, including the environment, protecting wildlife and tropical forests, the rights and welfare of workers and the interests of coffee growing communities. Farms that meet these standards are awarded Rainforest Alliance certification, a badge of quality that can be used to market farm products. Most farmers are able to utilise their certification to receive a price premium above the prevailing commodity price. On average, Kenco pays farmers a 10 cent premium per pound for the coffee supplied to McDonald's.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 89. Where will McDonald’s rank among other retailers of sustainable coffee (e.g. Starbucks, Costa etc.)?
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The fact that McDonald’s is switching all its coffee to Kenco Rainforest Alliance sourced coffee means that McDonald’s will be the UK high street’s largest retailer of coffee from Rainforest Alliance certified farms.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 90. Where will McDonald’s rank among other customers – will it be one of the biggest purchasers of coffee from Rainforest Alliance certified farms?
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Yes. This means that McDonald’s is now the UK’s largest retailer of coffee from Rainforest Alliance certified farms.
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