Where Does McDonald‘s Get Their Meat Supplier Type of Meat in 2024? The Full Story

With over 38,000 locations worldwide serving 69 million customers daily, McDonald‘s has one of the largest and most complex supply chain operations in the fast food industry. Given its massive scale, questions often arise around exactly where McDonald‘s sources the meat for its iconic burgers, nuggets and sandwiches. This in-depth guide provides the full story on McDonald‘s meat supply partners and processes in 2024.

Beef Sourcing Breakdown

McDonald‘s uses over 175 approved beef suppliers across the major cattle-producing countries to meet its substantial beef demand. In the United States alone, it purchases beef from over 20,000 ranches.

Its top beef suppliers include:

• Lopez Foods – Supplies roughly 15-20% of McDonald‘s beef in the U.S.
• Cargill – Provides an estimated 15% of McDonald‘s U.S. beef.
• Tyson Foods – Sources up to 5% of McDonald‘s U.S. beef demand.

In 2022, McDonald‘s purchased over 608 million pounds of beef for its U.S. restaurants alone. This massive quantity gives McDonald‘s significant influence over beef industry practices.

The company only uses cuts of beef from the shoulder, chuck, brisket, ribeye, sirloin, and round in its burgers. It does not use dairy cows or cow parts that most customers find unappetizing. McDonald‘s requires all cattle to be grass-fed and raised without the use of hormones or steroids.

Rigorous Audit Process for Beef Suppliers

McDonald‘s has stringent requirements for its network of beef suppliers across multiple countries. It audits each facility annually, reviewing criteria such as:

• Animal welfare practices
• Use of veterinary antibiotics
• Feed quality
• Transport conditions
• Processing controls
• Food safety protocols
• Sustainability metrics

Suppliers must pass these facility audits with high marks to continue selling to McDonald‘s. This ensures McDonald‘s only purchases beef raised to its ethical, environmental and quality standards.

Complete Traceability from Farm to Restaurant

McDonald‘s has end-to-end traceability within its beef supply chain. Each burger patty can be traced back to the specific farm and animal using the company‘s data tracking systems.

If any quality or safety issues arise, McDonald‘s can identify the source farm, then take appropriate corrective actions with the ranch. Complete traceability gives customers confidence in the origins of McDonald‘s beef.

Chicken Sourced Responsibly from Select Producers

For chicken, McDonald‘s uses a network of approved suppliers like Tyson Foods, Keystone Foods and Marjac Poultry across Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee. It purchases over 600 million pounds of chicken annually in the U.S.

To ensure responsible practices, McDonald‘s audits all chicken producers on criteria such as:

• Use of veterinary antibiotics
• Proper nutrition and clean water access
• Comfortable housing environments
• Humane treatment

McDonald‘s chicken is raised without any antibiotics defined as "critically important" to human health by the WHO. This helps prevent antibiotic resistance.

Pork for the McRib and Bacon

McDonald‘s signature McRib sandwich contains pork sourced from Lopez Foods in the U.S. Lopez Foods provides the boneless pork shoulder meat shaped into the iconic McRib patty.

For bacon, McDonald‘s partners with major pork producers like Oscar Mayer and Wright Brand Bacon. The pork used in McDonald‘s bacon comes from pigs raised crate-free in the U.S.

Sustainable Alaskan Pollock for Filet-O-Fish

The fish in McDonald‘s Filet-O-Fish sandwiches comes from wild-caught Alaskan Pollock, primarily sourced from the northern Pacific Ocean.

The company‘s primary seafood supplier is Kenny Longaker Seafoods, which sustainsably catches Alaskan Pollock in the cold waters of the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. This sustains populations and minimizes environmental impact.

McDonald‘s Meat Supplier Partnerships: By the Numbers

Myths and Facts About McDonald‘s Meat

There are many myths around McDonald‘s meat supply and quality. Here are some common myths and the real facts:

Myth: McDonald‘s uses fake meat or filler ingredients in burgers.

Fact: McDonald‘s beef is 100% real beef with no additives, fillers or binders.

Myth: McDonald‘s gets beef from China.

Fact: All McDonald‘s beef is sourced domestically in countries like the U.S., Canada and Australia.

Myth: McNuggets contain pink slime or chicken byproducts.

Fact: McDonald‘s only uses chicken breast, rib meat and tenderloins in McNuggets.

Conclusion

McDonald‘s sources meat responsibly from major beef, chicken, pork and seafood suppliers to meet its massive demand. With facility audits and traceability systems, McDonald‘s maintains stringent standards across its meat supply chain. While rumors persist, McDonald‘s serves authentic, quality meat raised to its specifications.