McDonald’s opens its doors to supply chain scrutiny

In a response to the horsemeat scandal leading to an increased interest from consumers in where their food comes from, McDonald’s has today launched its search for ‘Quality Scouts’, members of the public who will go behind the scenes to find out how food, such as the Big Mac and Fries, is made. 

The recruits will investigate and chronicle the supply chain journey from some of the 17,500 British and Irish farms that supply McDonald’s through to food production and restaurants.

They will meet and interview farmers, food suppliers and McDonald’s employees to find out the facts about what is in their chosen product and how it is made.

McDonald’s says it will publish the reports from the recruits later this year.

According to a 2007 poll by market research company Populus of 2,000 consumers, knowing more about where food comes from is now an important issue for most UK adults.

Four out of five people (81%) said it is important that ingredients are traceable to the farm they came from, and over half of adults (53%) consider how food is produced when deciding which products to buy.

McDonald’s Supply Chain vice president Warren Anderson said: “Every day, people ask us questions about our food and our ingredients, so we’re inviting members of the public to see for themselves what’s in some of our most popular products and follow the journey from farm to restaurant.

“We’re extremely proud of our longstanding British supply chain and the quality standards we have in place, but we know there is a lot of curiosity about our food. We’re looking forward to giving the Quality Scouts unique access behind the scenes, letting them uncover the facts, and sharing their reports.”

Conor McGlone