Ten years ago in January, McDonald’s announced it would begin sourcing “verifiable, sustainable beef” for its hamburgers. The fast-food chain didn’t have a clear definition of “sustainable beef” or a plan for when it might reach its “aspirational goal” of buying only sustainable beef for all 34,500 of its restaurants around the world.
It might take ten years or more to reach the 100% goal, I wrote in January 2014 in the first of a three-part series on McDonald’s and sustainable beef.
After ten years, I decided to look back at what had happened since then: what McDonald’s, which has promised to reach net-zero carbon by 2050, had accomplished in that time, and what it takes to change an entire industry for the better.
McDonald’s 2014 announcement was a bold move. It took the company a while to start making a plan for how it would get its suppliers and their suppliers to use more environmentally friendly methods. Even though McDonald’s is a big company around the world, it’s not the biggest buyer of beef—it usually buys between 1 5 and 2 percent of total beef consumption where it operates. To meet its goal, it would have to engage its suppliers, competitors and others.
A lot of cattle ranches raise beef for McDonald’s. Their herds range in size from less than a dozen to tens of thousands of animals. In more than 100 countries, the company would have to work with all of these groups in order to make the changes it wanted and had promised the public.
What I learned while reporting for several months shows what can happen when a company with good intentions tries to change complicated global supply chains in the real world. And it shows a big, slow-moving business that, like cows, seems to spend a lot of time thinking about what “sustainable beef” means and how to get a big group of sometimes stubborn players to go in a different direction.
For McDonald’s, progress has been slow and nuanced, but also undeniable. On the one hand, there has been a lot of activity, especially around the farmers and ranchers at the beginning of the hamburger supply chain, who have the most significant environmental effects. McDonald’s is the undisputed leader when it comes to beef sustainability, at least among the larger players. From ranchers to retailers, everyone in the beef value chain sees the company as a key driver of projects and partnerships that are slowly but surely making the sector better.
But even after ten years, the company and the global beef industry as a whole are still trying to come up with basic definitions, metrics, and goals for sustainable beef, as well as setting goals and timelines for progress. Big Mac and Quarter Pounder lovers won’t be buying a sustainable burger any time soon. And McDonald’s has yet to set any companywide sustainability goals for beef.
Marion Gross is McDonald’s executive vice president and global chief supply chain officer. I asked her what information is in the company’s supply chain that shows if the company is actually making progress. She admitted that the company still lacks clear answers.
“We are still learning what are the right measures,” said Gross. “How do we measure and validate? Some of the pilots we’ve done around the world have shown that regenerative farming can store carbon and lower emissions, but I don’t think we have the final answer yet for how to measure it.”
“It’s very complicated, and it will take years before we can say for sure that we are making a difference and how much.” ”.
Moreover, the company changed the goal. A few years after the announcement, McDonald’s switched from using the phrase “sustainable beef,” which means “ideal outcome,” to “beef sustainability,” which means “ongoing journey.”
“Some people inside the company thought we should have started with the term ‘beef sustainability’ instead of’sustainable beef,'” Jenny McColloch, the chief sustainability officer of the company, told me. “‘Beef sustainability’ is a long-term ethos and journey. That was a semantic shift that was deliberate in our earlier years. ”.
A decade later, the story of McDonald’s and beef sustainability raises more questions than answers. How much can one company, even a big one like McDonald’s, change supply chains and markets? How much is an agricultural industry that has been around for hundreds of years willing to change? And finally, and this may be the most important question, can beef production become sustainable at the current rate of consumption? In other words, will the phrase “sustainable beef” always be a contradiction?
A lot of bad things happen to the environment when cattle are raised, like trees being cut down, greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and land degradation.
With over 38000 locations in more than 100 countries McDonald’s serves around 69 million customers daily. It’s no surprise that with this level of global operation, McDonald’s requires absolutely massive amounts of ingredients – especially beef. But just how much beef does the fast food giant actually go through on a daily basis? The numbers are almost hard to believe.
In this in-depth exploration we’ll uncover the staggering statistics on McDonald’s daily beef usage. You’ll learn where their beef comes from how it’s processed into burgers, and just how they manage to procure such an unfathomable quantity of meat on a daily basis. Grab a Big Mac and read on!
Billions of Burgers Per Year
Let’s start with the big number – according to McDonald’s own reports, they sell approximately 75 hamburgers globally every single second. That equates to over 4,500 burgers sold per minute, and around 270,000 burgers sold every hour around the world.
Doing the daily math, it comes out to roughly 6.48 million pounds of beef a day used just for McDonald’s hamburgers alone. That’s the equivalent of over 3,240 tons of ground beef daily!
And burgers aren’t the only beef menu items – the McDonald’s breakfast menu includes sandwiches with sausage and bacon, plus beef is used in items like the Filet-O-Fish. Taking all their menu options into account, McDonald’s estimated global daily beef usage totals over 9 million pounds.
To put their insane amount of daily beef into perspective, 9 million pounds is equal to the weight of around 1,125 mid-sized cars. Now that’s a lot of moo!
Where Does All the Beef Come From?
With beef needs of this magnitude, where does McDonald’s source all that meat? Their list of suppliers includes major companies like Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS, Marfrig and other large beef processing plants.
McDonald’s has strict standards about their beef’s origin and quality. They use whole muscle cuts like chuck, brisket, rib, etc. rather than pink slime or trimmings. The cattle are primarily grass-fed and ethically raised in countries like Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.
All beef destined for McDonald’s is processed stateside at facilities that meet their specifications for food safety and quality control. Even the ranches themselves undergo audits to ensure best practices for animal welfare are followed.
From Cattle to Patties: Inside the Process
Ever wonder how the beef makes it from pastures to McDonald’s patties? At the processing plants, big portions of beef trim are fed into giant grinding machines. The beef is pulverized into small fragments and mixed with just salt and pepper for seasoning.
It goes through a second grind to achieve the perfect smooth consistency for patties. Next, the ground beef travels to high-volume molding machines where it is pressed into the signature burger shape. These industrial molders can pump out a whopping 360 patties per minute!
The patties are then flash frozen to lock in freshness until they are shipped out to McDonald’s restaurants. Each location receives multiple beef deliveries per week to maintain supply.
Non-Beef Options Are Growing
While McDonald’s built their empire on beef, they understand many customers want alternatives. That’s why McDonald’s now features meat substitutes like the McPlant burger made with a pea and soy protein patty.
They also offer non-beef choices like the Filet-O-Fish, apple slices, Southwest Salad with grilled chicken, and oatmeal. However, their classic beef burgers aren’t going anywhere – they remain customer favorites!
McDonald’s Beef Game is Strong
The next time you bite into a McDonald’s burger, take a moment to appreciate the incredible logistics required to make it happen. Supplying beef for 69 million daily customers across 119 countries is no small feat.
Yet McDonald’s has perfected the process, partnering with major suppliers to source ethical, sustainable ingredients. Their inventory management and distribution ensures each of the 38,000 locations is stocked with millions of pounds of beef every single day. That takes some serious hamburger skills!
Frequently Asked Questions About McDonald’s Beef Usage
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How many pounds of beef does one McDonald’s use daily?
On average, an individual McDonald’s restaurant uses around 10-15 kilograms (22-33 pounds) of beef per day simply to meet burger demand. Total daily beef usage per restaurant is even higher when breakfast menu items and other beef products are included.
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What percentage of US beef does McDonald’s use annually?
While McDonald’s uses billions of pounds of beef per year, their usage only accounts for about 1.5-2% of total US beef production annually. The percentage is small since McDonald’s is just one of many companies purchasing beef.
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How is McDonald’s beef processed into burgers?
McDonald’s suppliers use large industrial grinding machines to pulverize beef cuts into small fragments. The beef is seasoned and molded into burger patties by high-speed patty forming machines capable of yielding 360 patties per minute. The patties are then flash frozen.
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Does McDonald’s use fillers, pink slime or scraps in their beef?
No. McDonald’s burgers contain 100% whole muscle cuts of beef like brisket, chuck, rib and sirloin. They never use questionable additives like pink slime or ammonia in their burger meat. Only salt and pepper are added for seasoning.
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What non-meat options does McDonald’s offer?
For customers looking for non-beef options, McDonald’s now has meat substitutes like the McPlant burger. They also offer fish sandwiches, salads, oatmeal, and sides like apple slices. However, their classic beef burgers remain top sellers.
From pilots to progress
A lot of bad things happen to the environment when cattle are raised, like trees being cut down, greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and land degradation. Because beef is grown in almost every country, those impacts are global. And with beef consumption set to increase dramatically, they are certain to grow in the coming years. McDonald’s hopes to be a leader in the food industry when it comes to sustainability, but even if the company meets its own goals, it won’t make a big difference in the damage.
In 2012, McDonald’s, in partnership with several NGOs, trade associations, ranchers and other retailers, launched the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, whose members are “committed to making a difference in the sustainability of their industry.” GRSB, in turn, spawned a dozen national and regional roundtables, from Australia to Argentina to the Americas, which focus on issues particular to their region.
GRSB spent much of its first decade simply wrangling members and building consensus. The executive director of the group, Ruaraidh Petre, told me from his office in Aberdeen, Scotland, “It’s a lot of people and a lot of moving parts.” “It’s been a lot of work to get a big industry with a lot of different stakeholders to work together. Some of them are pretty conservative, let’s be honest.” ”.
In 2021, after nearly a decade, GRSB established a series of 2030 goals focusing primarily on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving land use and ensuring animal welfare. They’re voluntary and not overly ambitious. The climate goal, for example, aims for a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gases “of each unit of beef,” a relative goal that will likely be overwhelmed by the overall increase in beef consumption: Between now and 2030, the global appetite for beef is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 5.8 percent, according to Grand View Research. That pencils out to just over 40 percent aggregate growth over the next six years, more than enough to offset that 30 percent emissions cut. The industry has no absolute goal to reduce beef’s overall planetary impacts.
During the first couple of years after its 2014 announcement, McDonald’s engaged in a pilot project, working with the various regional roundtables “to define what principles and criteria were for sustainability across the sector,” said McColloch. The company said, in effect, “We’ll source some beef from those supply chains that are aligned with those principles and criteria.”
Between 2014 and 2016, McDonald’s started doing just that. It purchased a small portion of its beef from verified sustainable Canadian ranches. (Canada is one of the few countries with a program to certify beef sustainability. Nearly 9,000 cows were used in that project, which produced about 300,000 pounds of beef that McDonald’s used to make 2 4 million “sustainable” hamburger patties. That’s roughly one-tenth of a percent of the 2. 5 billion burgers the company sells each year worldwide.
Among the project’s objectives: to bring the GRSB’s Principles and Criteria to life and to accelerate development of an industry-led beef sustainability framework.
People who raise Charolais cattle in Ponoka, Alberta, and have been on the board of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) told me, “The indicators that McDonald’s used in the pilot project were a starting point for the indicators that the [CRSB] used in their certification process.” “They did a lot to help build trust between the people who raise animals and the people who buy our products.” ”.
From 2016 on, the company worked on building the industry’s infrastructure and a network of on-farm research programs to show how sustainable beef could be. “We chose 10 sourcing markets that made up about 85% of our beef volume and said, ‘In all of those markets, we’re going to have a farmer network, we’re going to set up flagship farms, and we’re going to do research on beef standability programs that are in line with the GRSB criteria and principles,'” McColloch explained. “And from every one of those markets, we will source some portion of beef from those supply chains. ’”.
The US still eats more meat than almost every other country, but developing countries are beginning to catch up.
How McDonald’s HAMBURGER MEAT is MADE | McDonald’s Burger Factory
FAQ
How much beef does McDonald’s use?
Does McDonald’s use 80 20 beef?
How many cows does McDonald’s use in a year?
How many beef patties does McDonald’s sell a day?
How much beef does McDonalds eat a year?
In the United States alone, people eat over 1 billion pounds of beef at McDonald’s in a year, which is 5½ million head of cattle. McDonalds Corporation sells over 1 billion cups of coffee each year around the world. It sells 500 million cups a day in the U.S. alone. McDonald’s opens a new restaurant every four hours.
How much beef does McDonald’s buy a year?
Each year, the company purchases: To put those numbers in perspective, McDonald‘s buys about 2% of all beef produced globally and 6% of the chicken. In the U.S. market specifically, the company accounts for roughly 4% of all beef consumption and 8% of chicken.
Does McDonald’s use real beef?
Yes, every patty is 100% real beef with no fillers, additives or preservatives. Curious about our burgers? We have answers to all of your questions about McDonald’s burgers and beef. Whether you’re wondering if McDonald’s uses real beef or does McDonald’s have a veggie burger — we’ve got an answer in our FAQ.
How many pounds of fries does McDonald’s serve a day?
McDonald’s serves about 9 million pounds of fries globally—per day. McDonald’s Corporation is the largest owner of retail property in the world. The company earns most of its profits not from selling food, but by collecting rent.