Dawn Meats has produced its billionth Irish beef burger for McDonald’s since its €300 million deal signed in 2012, a milestone which was celebrated at its production site at Carroll’s Cross in Waterford.
The plant now produces more than 400 million beef burgers per year for McDonald’s with product destined for markets in Ireland, the UK and Continental Europe.
All of the burgers produced for McDonald’s are made with whole cuts of 100% Irish beef and sourced through the Dawn Meats network of accredited farms across Ireland, which the company says guarantees a closed loop supply of quality assured beef.
McDonald’s director of development and supply chain, Nigel McGuire, was there to mark the occasion with more than 50 Dawn Meats staff who were congratulated for their on-going commitment to sustainability and continuous improvement.
McGuire commented: “McDonald’s is a committed supporter of the Irish agri-business sector and we’re proud of the strength of our relationship with Dawn Meats, which has led to one in every five burgers sold in McDonald’s restaurants across Europe being of Irish origin.”
“McDonald’s adds nothing but salt and pepper to its burgers and the team at Dawn Meats have consistently helped us to deliver great tasting products to our customers.”
Dawn Meats’ group commercial director, Richard Clinton, added: “We are delighted with the progress achieved with McDonald’s to date and we are on target to achieve our ambition to produce one beef burger per year for every person in the EU.
“Active collaboration with McDonald’s across a number of disciplines has resulted in the gains made to date and we look forward to further progress in the years ahead as the McDonald’s global business grows.”
McDonald’s is said to be the single largest purchaser of Irish beef by volume, purchasing approximately 40,000 tonnes of Irish beef annually.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
