McDonald’s Australia has increased its support of the local supply chain over the past year, with its 2023 Australian Shopping List revealing the business purchased over 330 million kilograms of local produce, products, and ingredients – an extra 29 million kilograms than in 2022.
Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins said that Australian farmers are responsible for growing the very best produce in the world.
“It’s great to see this quality reflected in the Maccas’ local shopping list which will help to support Australian farmers,” said Collins.
“This will boost local economies across the country, supporting jobs and ensuring regional and rural Australia thrives.”
The company stated that the demand for Australian beef from international McDonald’s restaurants, and consistent purchasing of local produce such as lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers helped drive this growth, resulting in over $1 billion injected across the local supply chain.
McDonald’s Australia senior director of supply chain, Tom Mahony, said that the company prided itself on the unwavering support of local farmers and suppliers.
“McDonald’s has proudly supported the local agricultural industry for more than 50 years, sourcing great quality produce, ingredients and products from suppliers and farmers located in every State and Territory,” said Mahony.
“In 2023 alone, we served up approximately 49 million Big Mac burgers to customers across Australia, with each Big Mac featuring 100 per cent Aussie beef, lettuce, wheat flour, pickles and onions sourced from farmers across Australia.”
The full local 2023 Shopping List includes:
- 150 million kilograms of Australian potatoes for fries and hash browns
- 80 million kilograms of Australian beef for burgers across Australia (36 million kgs) and in McDonald’s restaurants around the
- world (44 million kgs)
- 20 million kilograms of Australian RSPCA-approved chicken for chicken McNuggets and burgers
- 52 million litres of fresh Australian milk for sundaes, shakes, frappes and coffees
- 21 million kilograms of Australian wheat flour for buns, apple pies and tortilla wraps
- 1.8 million kilograms of Australian cucumbers for pickles
- 79 million cage-free Australian eggs for McMuffins
- 3.9 million kilograms of Australian lettuce
- 1.7 million kilograms of Australian tomatoes
- 1.2 million kilograms of Australian onions
- 1.2 million kilograms of Australian apples for apple slices and pies
One of the dedicated farmers behind McDonald’s purchase of 3.9 million kilograms of lettuce in 2023 is Matt Vella, a third-generation lettuce grower from Camden, New South Wales.
“We’ve proudly partnered with McDonald’s for over a decade, supplying 3000 kilograms of fresh, crisp iceberg lettuce each week, totaling more than 156,000 kilograms per year,” said Vella.
“Our lettuce is grown here in Camden and delivered fresh to McDonald’s supplier, Golden State Foods, who wash, slice and package up the lettuce to be delivered to restaurants in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.
“McDonald’s consistent and reliable weekly orders have been instrumental to our growth, enabling us to expand into a thriving 100-acre farm with over 30 employees. Having McDonald’s support is crucial—it allows us to continue doing what we love and showcases the quality of Aussie produce to millions of customers everyday,” he said.
