McDonald’s accounted for three quarters of the total number of RSPCA Assured products sold through the foodservice sector in 2016, a result that the standards body said showed you don’t need to eat in high-end restaurants to eat higher welfare meat.
The fast food chain used more RSPCA Assured products than any other UK restaurant and the majority of UK retailers last year. The next highest share in foodservice was sold through wholesalers who accounted for 13% of the number of certified products followed by recipe box service Hello Fresh with 9.6%.
McDonald’s uses 100% RSPCA Assured labelled pork across its entire UK menu, as well as RSPCA Assured eggs in breakfast options such as McMuffins.
Sainsbury’s remains comfortably the largest retailer of RSPCA Assured products with 33% of the market, while discounter Aldi moved into second place following a significant increase in the percentage of RSPCA Assured products it stocks.
“This news flies firmly in the face of the common misconception that you need to shop and eat in ‘high-end’ supermarkets and restaurants to get higher welfare products,” said RSPCA Assured CEO, Clive Brazier.
“With their commitment to stocking and using RSPCA Assured products Aldi and McDonald’s have clearly shown that higher welfare doesn’t always mean consumers having to pay a much higher price.”
The figures were published in RSPCA Assured’s latest annual review which showed nearly 270m animals were reared to RSPCA welfare standards in 2016.
