Introduction
At McDonald’s quality and safety are at the centre of everything we do. Therefore we have developed policies to ensure that the food you enjoy at McDonald’s is safe to eat and of the highest quality. We are working to ensure that our agricultural goods are produced in a sustainable way.
Food Policies
You deserve the best, freshest and tastiest food every time you visit a McDonald’s restaurant. So we set up our European Quality Assurance Team to develop systems to monitor food quality in the McDonald’s supply chain. These systems are put into action by our local Quality Assurance Teams.
Traceability
When you eat a McDonald’s meal, you can rest assured that it is fully traceable from the farm to the fork. We know the origin and the history of the ingredients that go into making our food. In Ireland it is a legal requirement to provide information on the origin of our beef in accordance with the Health (Country of Origin of Beef) Regulations 2006
Food Safety
Food safety is a concern for everyone and we promise you that it is a focus at McDonald’s. We meet or exceed the food safety standards required by law in the preparation of our food and our suppliers must also meet strict criteria for food hygiene and safety at every stage of the food supply and production process.
Respect for the environment
The McDonald’s Agricultural Assurance Programme ensures our suppliers use sustainable farming practices so the earth’s natural resources will be protected and preserved.
Rainforest Alliance
You can enjoy your McDonald’s coffee safe in the knowledge that it has had the Rainforest Alliance seal of approval since 2007. The Rainforest Alliance encourages farmers to use sustainable farm management to get better economic returns. There are long-term benefits for both the coffee farmers and the environment in coffee growing regions.
Animal Welfare
We take animal welfare very seriously at McDonald’s. We only work with suppliers that meet our high standards on animal welfare, and those required by Irish and EU legislation.
Antibiotics as growth promoters
Since 2001, none of McDonald’s Europe’s poultry products may come from suppliers who feed their animals antibiotics as growth promoters. We only allow our suppliers to use antibiotics to treat and prevent disease.
Genetically modified products
We have responded to your concerns on the issue of genetically modified ingredients and in Europe we source non-GM products and ingredients whenever possible. We also ask our suppliers to identify sources of non-GM soya or maize in feed for all our beef, chicken, pork and dairy cattle. Although some genetically modified ingredients are considered safe and have been widely approved, we will continue to respect your wishes in this matter.
Sustainable fisheries
We’re choosy about where our fish comes from and we only source from sustainable, well managed fisheries. With the help of Conservation International, McDonald’s Europe carries out assessments and rates fisheries on management quality, fish stock status, the marine environment and biodiversity conservation.