McOrganic

McDonald’s goes McOrganic

By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Last Updated: 9:26am BST 28/06/2007

McDonald’s is going McOrganic.

McDonalds
McDonalds is campaigning to change its image

The fast food chain announced yesterday that all the milk used in the teas and coffees it sells in 1,200 outlets in the UK will come from organic British cows from the end of next month.

The move is the latest attempt by the US giant to transform its image. It already sells 500,000 litres of organic milk in its children’s Happy Meals, but yesterday’s announcement is far more significant - equating to 8.6 million litres a year - and will make McDonald’s one of the biggest buyers of organic milk in the country.

There have been mounting worries about the long-term future of the organic milk market.

Many farmers stopped producing organic milk after they failed to make enough money and last year some of the leading supermarket chains admitted they had to ship in supplies from overseas to meet demand.

Despite its popularity with many middle-class shoppers, it equates for just 6 per cent of all the milk sold in the UK.

McDonald’s chief executive in the UK, Steve Easterbrook said yesterday that he could give a “cast-iron guarantee” that there was enough organic milk in Britain for the 145,000 cups of coffee McDonald’s serve each day, as a number of farms had just recently received full organic certification.

Earlier this year, the fast-food chain converted all its coffee to a Rainforest Alliance brew. “I now think we can claim to be the most ethically-sourced cup of coffee on the high street. And certainly the best value one,” Mr Easterbrook said, taking a swipe at Starbucks, which charges £2.29 for a medium sized cappuccino.

McDonald’s price is a full £1 cheaper.

He insisted that the move was not a publicity stunt to win over consumers, who he admitted were showing “increasing scepticism and declining trust”.

“If anything it is a commercial decision,” he said, pointing out that coffee sales had increased by 10 per cent after being certified by the Rainforest Alliance, an independent watchdog, which promotes sustainable agriculture.

The company has yet to decide whether to switch its McFlurries and milkshakes to organic - a move that would see it buy a further 38 million litres of organic milk a year.

Most farmers and organic campaigners gave a cautious welcome to one of the world’s largest food buyers embracing the organic trend.

Patrick Holden, director at the Soil Association, said: “It is a small but significant step in the right direction for McDonald’s. I hope the company’s food sourcing continues to improve, creating better opportunities for farmers in the UK and providing increasingly healthier options for their customers.”

Roland Bonney, who runs Oxford University’s farm, has helped McDonald’s improve much of its farming practices. He said that by going organic, farmers should feel more confident with taking the expensive step of converting.

“We’ve seen boom and bust in the organic sector before. What makes this different is that there is now a guaranteed customer in the market.”

McDonald’s will, by the end of next month, be buying 5 per cent of all the organic milk in the UK.