McDonald’s Canada to again source all beef from Canada in September

McDonald’s Canada announced Thursday it will soon be getting all of its beef from Canada again, months after supply chain disruptions here due to COVID-19 spurred it to bring in the meat from outside the country.

It will switch back to 100 per cent Canadian beef beginning in September, McDonald’s Canada president John Betts announced during the Canadian Beef Industry Conference.

“It’s not lost on us how hard you’ve been hit, but you’ve remained incredible and reliable partners to us,” Betts told the virtual conference on Thursday.

“Helping us maintain more than 80 per cent Canadian beef through an unprecedented global crisis — that’s a true testament to you and the industry as a whole.”

The company made headlines when it announced in April that due to temporary supply chain disruptions, McDonald’s Canada was adjusting its supply to include beef from outside the country.

This spring two of Canada’s largest meat processors experienced outbreaks of coronavirus infections among their plant workers.

In order to meet its beef demand, the retailer began sourcing supplemental beef from pre-approved suppliers and facilities in the United States, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia.

McDonald’s Canada, which has used 100 per cent Canadian beef since 2003, said it maintained over 80 per cent of supply from Canadian sources on average over recent months.

CBC