Questions answered
There are 10 questions about “Beef” in the “How do you make...” topic.
Click on a question to read our answer.
- 1. I would just like to know what oil is used in the cooking of your fries and nuggets in UK stores. The whole family enjoys the treat of a visit to the golden arches, but one of my daughters tend to get a badly upset stomach within hours. It's less severe after a burger, so i just want to know what exactly is in the oil or blend of oils you use. Thank you
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Thank you for your question. The cooking oil used in McDonald's UK restaurants is a non-hydrogenated vegetable oil that is a blend of High Oleic Sunflower Oil, High Oleic Rapeseed Oil and standard Rapeseed Oil, which is suitable for vegetarians. For a full list of ingredients for all McDonald’s UK menu items please visit the ‘Food’ section at www.mcdonalds.co.uk (July 2011)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 2. What breed of cow is used in your hamburgers?
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Thanks for your question. We do not specify any breed, however they must be at least eight months of age; healthy; born, reared and slaughtered in the UK or Republic of Ireland; and from accredited farm assured farms. (June 2011)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 3. If you say that skilled butchers prepare the meat, then how do you explain the video in this link http://cep.mcdonalds.com/qualityfood/films_from_farms_lopez_video.jsp
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Make Up Your Own Mind has been set up specifically to answer questions about McDonald's within the UK and it is hard for us to answer specific questions about products in other markets. Unfortunately it seems that the link you feature relates specifically to McDonald’s US. McDonald’s UK beef patties are made from high quality cuts of forequarter and flank, which are traceable back to the British and Irish farms they came from. It's prepared by skilled butchers and then minced as it would be by any butcher, only on a larger scale.
(March 2010)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 4. whats the difference between the meat in a hamburger and the meat in a sausage and egg mcmuffin as they look identical!
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Firstly apologies for the delay in answering your question, the team has been very busy with all the questions that are pouring in and everybody is working hard to answer them all.
The meat used in McDonald's hamburgers is 100 percent beef, from whole cuts of forequarter and flank (similar to the mince you'd buy in the supermarket). The meat in the Sausage and Egg McMuffin is sausage, which is made from cuts of trimmed, cured and sliced pork. McDonald’s would like to assure you that although the cooked products resemble each other, they are made of different types of meat. If you would like further confirmation of how the beef patties are made, perhaps you would be interested in following the journey of the Quality Scouts on this site. They're ordinary members of the public who visit various parts of McDonald's operations and suppliers. Just click on the ‘Quality Scout’ link on this site to find out more.
(Dec 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 5. I have tried using 100 percent beef and it just falls apart, how do you bind the burger or do you freeze them, also do you fry or grill them kindest regards
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Thank you for your question. McDonald’s beef patties are made from 100% beef, nothing is added – no binders or fillers or additives. Once the patty has been made, it is frozen and dispatched to the restaurants. The restaurants then use two-sided hotplates to cook the burgers from frozen, so no extra fat is added during cooking either. Finally, the burgers are seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper.
(Feb 2010)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 6. 1)can you tell me please who provide the fries to mcdonalds in uk 2)how many provider of meat to macdonalds in uk 3)what is FOR stands for, related to mcdonalds please answer these three question
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McDonald’s UK French Fries are made from potatoes which have all been grown within the EU and the vast majority of which have been grown within the UK. Furthermore, McDonald's fries are made from only the best quality potatoes such as Russet Burbank, Shepody, Pentland Dell and Innovator. The majority of McDonald’s French Fries are made by McCain’s.
McDonald's sources the beef for its patties from over 16,000 farmers from UK and Ireland. All pork is sourced from the UK. Chicken comes from farms in the UK and Brazil, all of whom must adhere to the directives set out in the Assured Chicken Production (ACP) scheme, which controls all aspects of chicken farming including feed and animal welfare. With regards to your third question, FOR relates to one of the standard internal audits completed on McDonald’s restaurants. It is short for Full Operations Report and is completed along with several others on an annual basis.
(December 2009)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 7. At any point did Mc Donalds supply their own meat. In other words did they not used to own and operate their own cattle farms?
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McDonald’s has always had a policy to source its ingredients locally wherever possible, resulting in over 17,200 British and Irish farmers supplying McDonald’s UK with ingredients. This is the same for every country the company operates in, where menu items and promotions are developed appropriate to the locality. Within the UK, standards laid down in the McDonald’s Agriculture Assurance Programme clearly state how animals must be cared for, including the provision of feed, bedding, shelter, lighting and comfort. The company's insistence that each one of its suppliers must meet its very high animal welfare standards is further enforced by the McDonald's Quality Assurance Team, several of whom are fully qualified animal welfare officers. They regularly inspect all aspects of the food supply chain to ensure the animals are healthy, properly fed and well looked after throughout their lifetime. McDonald’s will not work with any supplier that does not meet these high standards.
(March 2009)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 8. You regularly claim that your burgers contain no hormones, 1. how and why do farmers get rid of the cows natural growth hormones 2.how do you get any beef from such cows.
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McDonald’s is referring to hormones that would not already naturally exist in cattle, such as growth hormones injected into a cow in order to speed its growth and increase its mass. Antibiotic growth promoters or hormones such as these are strictly forbidden by the requirements of McDonald’s Agriculture Assurance Programme (MAAP). Additionally the use of growth hormones is banned under UK and EU legislation. The Company’s UK beef cattle are sourced from UK and Ireland and fed on a diet of grass, root crops and cereals. Only whole cuts of forequarter and flank are used in McDonald’s beef patties, similar to what you might buy in a supermarket. It's prepared by skilled butchers and then minced as it would be by any butcher, only on a larger scale. The mince is then made into patties, immediately frozen to seal in the freshness, and packed for distribution. If you want to find out more about how McDonald’s sources and produces its food, why not follow the progress of the McDonald’s Quality Scouts on this web site? Simply follow the ‘Quality Scout’ link on this website.
(July 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 9. where are your cows and chickens slaughtered and how do they slaughter them??
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McDonald's is in the business of making and serving food, primarily non-vegetarian food and as such the death of cattle and chickens is an unavoidable part of this. McDonald’s source cattle through suppliers from a number of abattoirs throughout the British Isles. These are strategically locating in cattle-producing parts of the country. Meanwhile the chicken farmers who supply McDonald's chicken are accredited by the nationally recognised Farm Assurance Scheme – Assured Chicken Production (ACP). They rear the chickens in barns which are monitored to the standards set by the ACP. Each animal is stunned prior to slaughter and do not feel anything during the procedure. McDonald’s has standards in place that are continually monitored to ensure that the slaughter of animals is carried out in a humane and compassionate manner by qualified personnel and under veterinary supervision. You can get an inside view and more information by viewing or reading one of the reports by the Quality Scouts that have visited some of the farms and suppliers that McDonald's work with. Just click on the 'Quality Scouts' link on this site to find out more.
(July 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 10. I am a life long vegitarian and don't know what 'whole cuts of flank and forequarter' means. Could you please enlighten me?
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The forequarter and flank are indeed the only parts of the cow that McDonald's uses. They are the areas at the front shoulders and sides of the animal, and they provide the cuts known as neck, fore rib, breast, chuck tenderloin, shoulder, shank, prime rib and flank. You can find more information regarding all the food on the McDonald's menu at www.mcdonalds.co.uk. Just click on the 'Eat Smart' section and visit the `Our food` link. (June 2007)
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