With 34,000 restaurants across 120 countries serving 70 million people per day, any decision made by McDonald’s restaurants will have a major effect on industries across the globe.
In recent years, consumer demand for sustainability and transparency has grown and the company is taking big steps in answering those concerns, explained Jeffrey Fitzpatrick-Stilwell, senior manager of sustainability at McDonald’s Canada.
He told participants of the Social License in Agriculture conference in Leduc Thursday, March 12 that customers are interested in how what they are eating will affect them. “What they’re most concerned about is the integrity of what they’re eating.”
Farmers and producers continue to be the most trusted groups in the food chain supply, while large corporations, like McDonald’s are among the least trusted. Because of that, McDonald’s is working to improve trust by increasing transparency.
Education and transparency
For some consumers it is about education; Fitzpatrick-Stilwell says many consumers don’t have a reference point for what a big farm operation looks like. Some believe a big operation would have 100 animals, a big different from the reality.
The company made a bold, if vague, promise to create a verified sustainable beef industry in Canada a few years ago. Fitzpatrick-Stilwell says it was not to be evasive but to allow the plan to grow and change. McDonald’s has been working with producers in all parts of the supply chain to figure this problem out.
Certifications and verifications are different for many industries, so the company has been working with a group called the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef to find the best answer. Fitzpatrick-Stilwell says McDonald’s is not looking to reinvent the wheel, but instead collaborate with all stakeholders. “It’s about the outcome,” he stressed.
Big Mac of a challenge
Several types of burgers, including the Big Mac, are billion dollar products at McDonald’s and becoming sustainable is going to be a challenge.
Fitzpatrick-Stilwell said the company specifically did not put concrete plans in place because it is still growing and changing. While the overall goal is to reach some sustainability by 2016, he added how that will look and how that is verified will be another challenge.
“It is a pilot project. It’s not perfect. It’s not supposed to be,” he said.
The path to verification
Canada makes the ideal country to start this pilot project, added Fitzpatrick-Stilwell, because there are already sustainable plans in place. While doing this, the company continues to listen to advice and communicate progress with consumers and he reminded attendees the process is not about certification, but verification.
“It’s about allowing producers to tell the story,” he said.
Currently there are 38 indicators for verification:
Natural resources (7)
Communication and people (7)
Animal health and welfare (13)
Food (3)
Efficiency and innovation (8)
Fitzpatrick-Stilwell says he expects this to change as the pilot project continues to grow.
Reinforcing the need for transparency
Animal rights groups can sometimes have hidden agendas, explained speaker Kay Johnson-Smith, CEO of Animal Agricultural Alliance. She spoke about how farmers and producers can increase their transparency to deal with extreme tactics by some advocacy groups.
“Hire someone who can work with your employees and can provide some quality assessment,” she offered.
She referred to a farm in the United States called Cooper Farms C.A.R.E.S., which welcomes discussion from consumers. They have windows in their barns to allow people a chance to watch the process.
Another company called Fair Oaks Farms has a feature called The Pig Adventure, which has glass windows in its pig barn and tours are offered to people interested in how the industry works.
She advises engagement with consumers is becoming an increasingly important part of the industry. “Your voice as producers is going to mean a whole lot more with legislators than with lobbyists.”