Where Does McDonald’s Get Their Beef? A Look at the Supply Chain Behind the McDonald’s Burger

McDonald’s serves around 75 burgers every second. With over 38000 locations worldwide that adds up to a lot of beef! So where does all that beef come from? In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into McDonald’s beef supply chain to find out where those famous burger patties originate.

An Overview of McDonald’s Beef Supply

McDonald’s uses 100% pure beef with no fillers, additives or preservatives in their burgers. The beef is sourced from McDonald’s approved network of ranchers and meat suppliers across the United States.

The journey starts at one of the thousands of ranches that supply cattle to McDonald’s. After the cattle reach maturity, they are sent to one of McDonald’s approved harvesting and processing facilities Here, the cattle are humanely harvested and the beef is processed into cuts like chuck, brisket, round and sirloin

The beef then goes to one of McDonald’s major beef suppliers like Lopez Foods or Keystone Foods. At these facilities, the beef is ground into hamburger patties and flash frozen to lock in freshness. The frozen patties are then shipped out to McDonald’s restaurants around the world.

• Cattle ranches -> Cattle
• Harvesting/Processing Facilities -> Cuts of Beef
• Major Suppliers -> Frozen Beef Patties
• McDonald’s Restaurants Around the World

Next, let’s take a closer look at each stage of this process.

Where McDonald’s Sources Their Beef

McDonald’s only uses beef from cattle born and raised in the United States. They source from over 30,000 ranchers and feedlots across the country. This includes major cattle-producing states like Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Colorado.

The exact ranches change over time, but some of McDonald’s long-time beef suppliers include:

• Matador Cattle Company (Texas)
• Padlock Ranch (Wyoming)
• Deseret Ranches (Florida)
• Buergler Ranches (Nebraska)

At these ranches, the cattle are grass-fed for most of their lives. They are moved between pastures to graze on natural grasses and vegetation. As they near maturity, the cattle are transitioned to a grain-finished diet for their last 90-120 days. This grain-finished process helps ensure juicy and flavorful beef.

From Ranch to Processor

Once cattle reach the target weight of 1,100 to 1,600 lbs, they are sent from the ranches to one of McDonald’s approved harvesting and processing facilities. These facilities adhere to strict standards for humane treatment and responsible processing practices.

Some of the major processors McDonald’s uses include:

• Cargill Meat Solutions
• Tyson Foods
• JBS USA

At these facilities, the cattle are humanely harvested using careful, regulated procedures overseen by the USDA. After harvesting, the carcasses are processed into the primal cuts like chuck, brisket, round and sirloin. These cuts are then vacuum-packed and shipped to one of McDonald’s major beef suppliers.

Major McDonald’s Beef Suppliers

The main suppliers that turn the raw beef cuts into burgers for McDonald’s are:

Lopez Foods

Based in Oklahoma, Lopez Foods operates processing plants that supply beef patties to McDonald’s restaurants across the United States. They have a long, 40+ year history of supplying to McDonald’s.

Lopez Foods starts with USDA-inspected, 100% real beef. They use specialized equipment to perfectly form the beef into patties. Next, they flash-freeze the patties to lock in freshness and flavor. The frozen patties are then distributed to McDonald’s locations nationwide.

Keystone Foods

Headquartered in Pennsylvania, Keystone Foods operates multiple processing facilities in the United States. They supply ingredients like beef, chicken, fish, pork and eggs to McDonald’s restaurants worldwide.

For beef, Keystone Foods sources cuts like sirloin, brisket and chuck from harvesting facilities. They process these into burger patties using state-of-the-art food safety technology and practices. The patties are flash-frozen and shipped globally to McDonald’s restaurants.

Other Regional Suppliers

While Lopez Foods and Keystone Foods are the major national suppliers, McDonald’s also uses smaller, regional beef suppliers across the US. This ensures geographic coverage and redundancy in their supply chain.

From Suppliers to McDonald’s Restaurants

The frozen beef patties make their way from the suppliers to one of four domestic distribution centers operated by the supply chain solutions company, Martin Brower. From these distribution hubs, refrigerator trucks transport the frozen patties to McDonald’s restaurants multiple times per week.

Each McDonald’s restaurant has patented high-tech appliances that cook the patties to juicy perfection. The patties go from frozen to hot and ready to eat in just a few minutes.

Why McDonald’s Uses Flash-Frozen Beef

You may be wondering, why does McDonald’s flash-freeze their beef patties? There are two major reasons:

1. Food Safety – Flash freezing locks in freshness and prevents bacterial growth. The patties are frozen so rapidly that the freezing process doesn’t damage the cellular structure of the meat.

2. Logistics – Freezing allows the beef patties to be shipped long distances without spoiling. It would be impossible to supply fresh, unfrozen beef to all McDonald’s restaurants around the world every day.

So flash-freezing gives McDonald’s the best of both worlds – freshly tasting patties that can be globally distributed from a few centralized processing facilities.

McDonald’s Commitment to Beef Sustainability

With a supply chain of this size, McDonald’s takes their environmental impact seriously. Some of their initiatives include:

• Supporting cattle ranchers that use rotational grazing methods to let pastures rest and regrow
• Funding research into more sustainable cattle feeding practices
• Committing to a 31% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across their beef supply chain by 2030

McDonald’s size gives them the ability to drive positive change in the industry. By supporting more sustainable practices at massive scale, they aim to produce great-tasting burgers that also help protect the planet.

McDonald’s Strict Standards Around Beef Quality

In addition to sustainability, McDonald’s has stringent quality standards for all beef that ends up in their restaurants:

• USDA Grade Standard – All beef must meet USDA Grade A quality standards
• Humane Handling – Suppliers must adhere to humane treatment practices overseen by the American Meat Institute
• Classic McDonald’s Flavor – Every batch of patties is tested to ensure the signature taste consumers expect
• Food Safety – Suppliers follow rigorous food safety protocols and undergo regular audits
• No Fillers, No Additives – Just 100% pure beef with no artificial preservatives or other additives

McDonald’s accepts no compromises when it comes to the quality of their beef. This commitment to excellence is how they’ve built trust with customers for over 50 years.

Bringing It All Together – A Model of Efficiency

When you break it down, McDonald’s has built an incredibly efficient beef supply chain:

• Cattle from ranches across the US
• Harvested and processed at major facilities
• Shipped as frozen patties from a handful of key suppliers
• Delivered regularly to restaurants around the world

They’ve optimized the process for speed, affordability and reliability. This allows them to serve consistently hot and juicy burgers affordably at massive scale – over 75 burgers per second across the globe!

From small ranch to iconic burger, that’s the journey of McDonald’s beef. A supply chain marvel that delivers an eternal favorite to millions every day.