MCDONALD’S IS TO use only British potatoes for making its French fries. The company sources all but 13% of its spuds from Britain anyway, but the move will reportedly inject another £9m into the country’s farming sector.
McDonald’s said the move is part of the company’s “continuing commitment to evolve the sourcing of its ingredients with consumers’ changing preferences and expectations”. The company spends £900m a year buying produce from UK suppliers.
“In 2013 we became the first high-street restaurant chain to switch to pork from British, RSPCA Assured scheme farms; and the British free-range egg market has quadrupled in size since we worked with our suppliers to make the switch to using free-range eggs 17 years ago,” said the firm’s UK supply chain director Connor McVeigh.
The government has recently been pressing retailers and foodservice companies to buy more British produce – and pay fair prices for it.
