McDonald’s Canada has confirmed that it will start buying beef which meet the standards charted out by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB), certified as sustainable. It will subsequently become the first Canadian company to make such a commitment towards adhering to the CRSB standards, sources mentioned.
The CRSB has set a number of benchmarks for sourcing beef, which include ensuring that animals have been fed sufficiently, they have access to water for drinking and they suffer minimal stress or pain. Ranchers and farmers also have to manage their grasslands and grazing fields such that the soil quality is maintained or enhanced, and the watersheds are thoroughly protected. The members have framed a world-class certification program with the aim of driving the development and recognition of beef sustainability in Canada, records stated.
The chairwoman of CRSB and a rancher herself, Cherie Copithorne-Barnes said consumers are getting increasingly aware of the food they eat and are interested to know where it is sourced from, was it economically feasible and if it was produced in an eco-friendly manner. She feels that people are making continuous progress in promoting sustainable food and it is necessary to recognize any milestones achieved in the process.
McDonald’s Canada mentioned that it buys 100% of the beef used in its hamburgers from Canadian ranchers and farmers, with Alberta and Saskatchewan being the prominent sources. The company has assured that over the course of the next 12 months, more than 20 million of Angus burgers sold at its outlets will contain beef sourced according to the CRSB guidelines.
According to a statement released in April, McDonald’s had disclosed its plan for cutting the emission of greenhouse gases from its operations worldwide by almost one-third, by sourcing its food more responsibly and promoting the efficient use of renewable energy. Buying sustainable beef for its Canadian business is a significant leap towards attaining its objective of lowering the emission density per food item, claim sources.