McDonald’s invites young British farmers behind the counter

Student farmers work alongside McDonald’s employees during the final stage of a twelve month journey behind the scenes of its world-famous supply chain.

McDonald’s is hosting young British farmers behind the counter of its UK restaurants for the first time this week, where they’ll serve customers as part of a training programme designed to provide them with unique insight into what consumers are looking for in the food they buy.

Three young farmers in the final stages of the inaugural year of McDonald’s Progressive Young Farmer Training Programme, are working alongside crew members for the chance to speak to customers firsthand and prepare food using ingredients they have seen grown, reared and harvested.

Over the last 12 months, each student has traced the entire agricultural supply chain from farm to restaurant front counter. They have been mentored by some of the UK’s most progressive farmers and leading food companies that supply ingredients for McDonald’s menu such as potato and Fries specialist, McCain.

Research commissioned by sector skills council Lantra shows that only 1 in 10 people working in the UK farming industry today are aged between 16 and 24 and more than 50,000 new farmers equipped with the right skills will be needed over the next decade to replace retiring workers. [1]

McDonald’s Progressive Young Farmer Training Programme aims to help young people looking to work within agriculture kick-start careers in the industry by providing them with the blend of farming and business acumen needed to succeed in today’s modern farming sector – from land management and animal husbandry through to marketing and IT skills.

Warren Anderson, Vice President, Supply Chain, McDonald’s UK, commented:

“People are now more interested and curious about where their food comes from than ever before. Research shows that over half of UK adults consider how food is produced when deciding which products to buy, which means successful farmers today need an exceptional understanding of the entire process – from farm through to customer. [2]

“We buy the majority of the quality ingredients we need for our menu from over 17,500 British and Irish farmers. To keep on doing this we need to ensure we support the next generation of passionate food producers, and giving young farmers the rare opportunity to talk to and serve customers in our restaurants will hopefully help them set up and run successful farm businesses in the future.”

Charles Clack, one of McDonald’s inaugural Progressive Young Farmer students, commented:

“The range of practical and business skills I’ve learnt in the last 12 months has really opened my eyes to what a career in farming is all about. From working on a beef farm that supplies McDonald’s to spending time at processors like OSI Food Solutions and McCain I’ve learnt the importance of long term relationships throughout the supply chain to produce quality ingredients.

“There’s so much more to farming than I think many people realise. It’s rare that farmers get the chance to meet customers, and I’ve loved seeing them enjoy the quality beef that I’ve played a part in producing.”

McDonald’s serves 100% British and Irish beef, 100% Freedom Food pork from British farms and 100% free-range eggs on its UK menu. The Progressive Young Farmer Training Programme forms part of Farm Forward, McDonald’s long-term programme developed in response to major challenges facing British and Irish agriculture.

[1] UK Commission for Employment and Skills Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing: Sector Skills Assessment 2012 (released in October 2012). Following the publication of DEFRA’s Future of Farming Review, LANTRA is in the process of reviewing these figures.

[2] Populus surveyed 2007 UK adults aged 18-35+ between 28th March and 1st April 2013. The data has been weighted to be representative of all people in the UK. Research shows that 53 per cent consider how food is produced when deciding which products to buy.

About McDonald’s UK

McDonald’s currently operates just over 1,200 restaurants across the UK, serving more than 3 million customers every day.

About Farm Forward

As a major customer of produce from British and Irish farmers, McDonald’s sources quality ingredients from over 17,500 British and Irish farmers. Through Farm Forward, it is building on its existing support for British and Irish farming with a series of individual projects built around five core commitments:

• We’re passionate about serving great tasting food made with quality ingredients, so we’ll support and champion British and Irish farmers’ quality produce.
• We’re committed to continually improving animal welfare within our supply chain and we buy from British and Irish farmers who continuously strive to raise welfare standards on their farms.
• We want to keep buying British and Irish ingredients, and to do that we need more young farmers. Young people need more support in today’s competitive jobs market, and so we’ll create opportunities that help them get into farming.
• Like the farmers who supply our ingredients, we care about looking after the countryside so we’ll help British and Irish farmers make environmentally-friendly improvements on their farms.
• We’ll use the reach of our business to help share knowledge between farmers. Through this knowledge sharing, we’ll help farmers – who often have limited contact with the people who buy their produce at the till – keep their businesses in step with what consumers want.

Food sourcing

• McDonald’s spends more than £360m each year on locally-sourced ingredients including 100% British and Irish beef, free-range eggs, Freedom Food pork from British farms and organic milk from UK dairies.
• 100% of McDonald’s beef is sourced from more than 16,000 British and Irish farmers.
• In April 2013, McDonald’s became the first high street restaurant chain to serve 100% Freedom Food pork across its entire UK menu. This means all sausage and bacon products served are from British farms that meet the RSPCA’s strict welfare standards.
• Since 2007, McDonald’s has been using Organic Milk from UK dairies in all of its coffees, Happy Meal milk bottles and porridge. 100% of the milk used in milkshakes, sundaes, McFlurrys and bottles is sourced from Britain and Ireland.
• In 2007 McDonald’s won a Compassion In World Farming ‘Good Egg Award’.
• McDonald’s UK uses eggs produced to the ‘Lion Quality Mark’, the gold standard in egg production, or equivalent, symbolising a high standard of egg production.
• McDonald’s won the RSPCA Good Business Award in 2008 and again in 2009 for long term commitment in improving animal welfare. Overall McDonald’s have won 4 RSPCA awards in eight years.
• McDonald’s French Fries, Hash Brown and Potato Rosti are made from potatoes grown within the EU – the vast majority are grown in the UK.
• McDonald’s serves Rainforest Alliance © certified coffee.

McDonald’s beef supply chain

• All McDonald’s burgers are made from 100% beef with nothing added except a pinch of salt and pepper after cooking.
• McDonalds’ only uses whole cuts of British and Irish beef, sourced from traceable, quality-assured farms. It doesn’t use any binders, fillers or trimmings in its burgers.
• McDonald’s has built a first-class supply chain over almost 40 years, based on long-term relationships with trusted suppliers.
• McDonald’s beef supply chain is short and transparent and there are just a few simple steps from the farms through to the food it serves in its restaurants.
• In February 2013 McDonald’s voluntarily provided samples of all beef burgers currently available on its menu to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for their own tests. All tests, including McDonald’s own, confirmed no horse meat contamination.