Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

McDonald's wants full cattle traceability - FCC's AgriSuccess Newsletter story:

 

http://www.fcc-fac.ca/newsletters/en/express/articles/20100122_e.as...

One of the biggest restaurant chains in the world is supporting the Canadian government and its effort to implement mandatory livestock traceability by 2011.

 

"McDonald's believes that a robust, national traceability system is critical to ensuring consumer confidence and building brand trust in the beef industry," says Jeff Kroll, senior vice-president of McDonald's Restaurants of Canada during a recent presentation to the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association.

 

"While it's an additional cost, we believe that it's simply the right thing to do. Traceability is the right thing for all of us to do for our businesses and our customers, both domestically and abroad," Kroll says.

 

Growing consumer awareness about food production and demand for greater food safety has caused McDonald's to emphasize traceability for all menu items. In 2009, the company purchased 64 million pounds of Canadian beef, 44 million pounds of chicken and 62 million eggs. In Canada, 2.8 million people eat at McDonald's daily -- almost 10 per cent of the population.

 

Kroll notes that since the 2003 BSE case, McDonald's has purchased 100 per cent Canadian beef for its Canadian restaurants. They have also been part of a program to trace their beef, if concerns arose.

"For us to be able to call our supplier, which is Cargill, and say, 'that animal came from a specific farm, are you buying from that farm? Was that animal in our meat? What lot was it in?' We need to be able to answer those questions to be able to assure safety and quality to our customers," Kroll explains.

 

While he was firm in the need for a traceability system, Kroll also told producers McDonald's is willing to pay for that increased traceability.

 

"We pay a premium today for the firewalls we have on beef. That's just a fact and is something we build into our price to our owners who operate our restaurants across the country and is something ultimately the consumer is paying for today."

 

Quality, food safety, animal welfare are all things McDonald's has a history of paying more for, according to Kroll, and will continue to pay for.

 

"Ultimately it does get passed onto the consumer, although it is one element of 500 that go into the price of a product before it goes to one of our restaurants," Kroll says. "Do I think consumers will pay more for a premium product? Marketed correctly -- absolutely."

Views: 209

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Let's look on the bright side if the big companys want traceability and we provide it ahead of other country's, we have the first step to providing our canadian consumers with a true canadian product. If we can prove something other countries can't I believe we have an edge. We always focus on the negative's of traceability, maybe it is time to accept it and look at the positives.
nothing wrong with traceability if someone is willing to pay for the increased costs.... and if something goes wrong up or down the chain..... the whole chain will be yanked in.

there is an interesting article posted titled "Think that beef is Canadian? Think again…"

“We have increased the amount of meat we are sourcing from Canadian producers and always aim to source as much product as possible domestically. However there are no existing suppliers of antibiotic and hormone free beef in Canada that can meet our PC requirements and supply adequate supply of beef,” said Julija Hunter, vice president of public relations for Loblaw.'

http://thebadger.ca/2010/02/09/think-that-beef-is-canadian-think-ag...

Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

PCDMN Soil Moisture Maps: Risk of stem rot sclerotial germination, July 2, 2025

June and early July are important months in terms of field crop disease development.  For diseases such as sclerotinia stem rot of canola and ergot of small grain cereals, suitable pathogen development must occur to produce spores before host infection can take place.  The pathogens associated with both diseases overwinter as resting bodies known as sclerotia, which are compact masses of hyphae (Figure 1).  Germination of stem rot sclerotia to produce the golf-tee shaped apothecia, aka carpogenic germination, requires suitable moisture conditions and moderate temperatures: Typically, sclerotial germination takes up to three weeks with the occurrence of temperatures that range from 10 to 20oC and suitable moisture conditions Soil moisture levels at or close to field capacity at the soil surface are needed for germination of sclerotia, although some germination can occur when levels are somewhat less that field capacity Field capacity varies depending on soil texture but is generally ar

Beef Producers Have a Game Plan to Keep Canada FMD-Free

Canada’s last outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) occurred in Saskatchewan in 1952, and, since then our herds have remained free of FMD. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Canada is designated as FMD-free without vaccination. This designation is awarded to countries that do not have the FMD virus circulating among cloven-hoofed animals without regular preventative vaccines. The 1952 outbreak was traced to a single sausage brought over by a farm worker from Germany. This seemingly harmless act of bringing a foreign food product on a flight had devastating effects on the Canadian economy, costing approximately $2 million in expenses and lost revenue at that time. If an outbreak were to occur in Canada today, it is estimated that the economic impact could soar to over $80 million.  You Are Here! Prevent and Prepare Canada is currently able to prevent Foot and Mouth Disease from crossing our borders and to prepare for any suspected FMD c

Working together to promote 4R practices to farmers

Fertilizer Canada and Alberta Grains have developed a 4R memorandum of understanding (MOU) that outlines how Agriculture and Irrigation, the agriculture industry and farmers can work together to bolster data collection and communication to increase 4R practice adoption levels. The MOU, a three-year agreement, was signed by Agriculture and Irrigation, Environment and Protected Areas, Alberta Grains and Fertilizer Canada. The objectives of the MOU are to improve production and environmental stewardship through greater awareness of 4R practices and principles. It also aims to establish mechanisms to pursue common objectives and priorities related to soil health/quality and nutrient management, and to support the Alberta government's commitments to the crop industry’s sustainable growth. “I’m so happy to announce the government’s MOU with Fertilizer Canada and Alberta Grains, set to increase awareness of 4R principles and practices. The bottom line is that this approach helps producers m

Grill Season is Here and It’s Never Been Fresher

“Grilling naturally brings out the vibrant flavours of fresh, seasonal ingredients,” says Garry Scott, Vice President of Marketing at Napoleon. “It’s one of the best ways to enjoy everything this time of year has to offer – bold flavours, fresh air and good company.”

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service