Have you ever wondered just how much beef McDonald’s uses in a single day?
The answer may surprise you.
With over 27 million customers served daily, McDonald’s is a massive fast-food chain that buys in bulk to keep prices low.
But just how much beef does the company purchase each day? And what about other food items like potatoes and coffee?
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the staggering amounts of food that McDonald’s serves up on a daily basis.
Get ready to be amazed!
How Many Pounds Of Beef Does McDonald’s Use A Day?
According to estimates, McDonald’s uses over 1 billion pounds of beef in its restaurants each year in the United States alone. That’s equivalent to 5.5 million head of cattle!
But how much of that beef is used on a daily basis?
While exact figures are not available, it’s safe to assume that McDonald’s uses a significant amount of beef each day. In fact, the company is the largest beef buyer in the United States, purchasing roughly 800 million pounds of beef per year and accounting for 3% of total beef consumption in the country.
This massive amount of beef is used to make popular menu items like the Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Big Mac. And with over 14,000 McDonald’s locations in the United States alone, it’s no wonder that the company needs to buy so much beef to keep up with demand.
The Beef Behind The Burgers: McDonald’s Meat Purchasing Habits
McDonald’s is known for its iconic burgers, but have you ever wondered where the beef comes from? The company purchases beef from virtually all large and medium-sized plants in the U.S., both fed and non-fed beef. However, McDonald’s is not just concerned with the quantity of beef it purchases, but also with the quality and safety of the meat.
To ensure that the beef it uses is safe for consumption, McDonald’s conducts audits of its suppliers’ food safety practices. These audits have greatly improved handling and stunning practices in the nation’s beef packing plants.
McDonald’s also partners with a global network of suppliers and farmers to provide quality ingredients and packaging materials. One of its key suppliers is Oklahoma City-based Lopez Foods, which has been providing beef, pork, and chicken to the chain since 1968. Another major supplier is Philadelphia-based Keystone Foods, which provides McDonald’s with over 150 million pounds of beef, 300 million pounds of chicken, and 15 million pounds of fish each year. Keystone is also credited with developing the individual quick-freezing process that allows McDonald’s burgers to be frozen in a way that retains both taste and texture.
When it comes to the quality of its meat, McDonald’s only uses 100% USDA inspected beef in its burgers. There are no preservatives or fillers in its patties, and the only thing ever added is a touch of salt and pepper on the grill. The company prides itself on using fresh beef patties for its Quarter Pounder burgers in the U.S.
Interestingly, cattle feed represents close to half of beef’s environmental impacts, according to a WWF study that surprised McDonald’s management. This has led the company to consider what is being fed to the cattle that end up as ground beef in its burgers – an upstream issue out of their concern and influence until now.
From Farm To Restaurant: The Journey Of McDonald’s Beef
But where does all this beef come from? McDonald’s sources its beef from over 20,000 British and Irish farmers who must meet the standards set by nationally recognized farm assurance schemes, such as Red Tractor. The company has worked alongside a diverse, global network of suppliers, NGOs, and scientists for over a decade to support long-term livelihoods and resiliency, as well as embed beef farming methods that protect and maintain native landscapes, improve biodiversity and sequester carbon in soils.
To ensure the quality of its beef, McDonald’s has established multi-stakeholder roundtable groups in each of its top 10 beef sourcing markets, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil. These groups work with farmers, suppliers, industry groups, academia, civil society, and the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) to establish principles and criteria for sustainable beef farming.
Once the beef is sourced from these farms, butchers prepare whole cuts of 100% beef from the forequarter and flank. These cuts are then minced and shaped to form the patties that are used in McDonald’s burgers. A blend of fresh and frozen mince holds the patties together without any added binders.
In McDonald’s restaurants, hot plates cook the beef patties from both sides at once without using any fat or oil. After cooking, a pinch of salt and pepper is added to dress the burger with the customer’s chosen filling before it is served.
McDonald’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond just sourcing its beef from responsible farmers. The company has also committed to removing artificial preservatives from its seven classic burgers in the U.S., sustainably sourcing all McCafé® coffee by 2020, transitioning to cage-free eggs in the U.S. and Canada by 2025, and sourcing a portion of its beef from suppliers participating in sustainability programs aligned with GRSB principles and criteria by 2020.
Beyond Beef: McDonald’s Other Food Purchases
While beef may be the most well-known ingredient in McDonald’s menu items, the fast-food giant also purchases a variety of other foods to create its menu. For example, McDonald’s is one of the largest buyers of potatoes in the world, using them to make their famous French fries. In fact, the company purchases over 3.4 billion pounds of potatoes each year.
In addition to potatoes, McDonald’s also purchases large quantities of chicken, pork, and fish to create menu items like the McChicken sandwich, McRib, and Filet-O-Fish. The company is also known for its breakfast menu, which includes items like Egg McMuffins and hotcakes. To make these breakfast items, McDonald’s purchases millions of eggs and pounds of pancake mix each year.
Beyond these main ingredients, McDonald’s also purchases a variety of other foods and ingredients to create its menu items. These include cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, buns, condiments, and more. In total, McDonald’s spends billions of dollars each year on food and ingredients to keep its menu offerings fresh and diverse.
The Environmental Impact Of McDonald’s Food Production
Unfortunately, the environmental impact of McDonald’s food production is significant. The beef industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and McDonald’s is the world’s largest user of beef. The company purchases as much as 1.9 billion pounds of beef each year, which requires the slaughter of over 7 million cattle. This results in more than 53 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which exceeds the emissions of several European nations.
The beef industry is particularly problematic because cows release high levels of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, in their burps and manure. Additionally, cows require a significant amount of feed, water, and land to produce a pound of meat, which inflates their carbon footprint. The industry also pollutes, consumes water, and spurs deforestation.
While McDonald’s has announced sustainability initiatives, critics argue that the company is largely dodging the one bold step it must take to slash emissions: dramatically reducing the amount of beef it serves. The company’s plans to reduce emissions by 36% by 2030 and achieve “net zero” emissions by 2050 are not enough without menu changes needed to significantly reduce beef production and emissions.
McDonald’s And Sustainability: Efforts To Reduce Waste And Improve Sourcing Practices.
In recent years, McDonald’s has made significant strides in its efforts towards sustainability. The company has set ambitious goals to reduce waste and improve sourcing practices, with the aim of becoming more environmentally friendly.
One of the major initiatives undertaken by McDonald’s is to reduce packaging waste. The company has eliminated over 300 million pounds of packaging, including polystyrene clamshells, and has recycled 1 million tons of corrugated boxes. In addition, McDonald’s has reduced restaurant waste by 30 percent, resulting in an estimated annual savings of $6 million.
Another key area of focus for McDonald’s is to improve its sourcing practices. The company is committed to using less packaging and driving innovation in sustainable packaging, while also reducing waste. McDonald’s is working with packaging companies to reduce material volume where possible and design packaging that can be recycled or repurposed.
As part of its “Scale for Good” initiatives, McDonald’s aims to have 100 percent of its guest packaging coming from renewable, recycled, or certified sources by 2025. This commitment is a significant step towards reducing the company’s environmental footprint and promoting sustainability.
While these efforts are commendable, some critics argue that McDonald’s needs to take bolder steps towards reducing its beef consumption. Beef production is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing beef consumption could have a significant impact on the environment. However, McDonald’s has yet to make any major menu changes that would significantly reduce beef production.
Despite this criticism, McDonald’s remains committed to its sustainability goals and continues to work towards a more environmentally friendly future. As one of the largest fast-food chains in the world, McDonald’s has the opportunity to make a significant impact on the environment through its actions towards sustainability.