For the last few months you have been following Maureen as she goes behind the scenes at McDonalds - as a part of the McDonald’s All-Access Moms program. Well, with baby #4 on the way the October trip was not in the cards! So I was happy to take over for her - to represent Wee Welcome on the road.

This particular trip focused on learning more about McDonald’s hamburgers, which are promoted as 100% beef and all-Canadian.

I had a few questions at the outset, beyond the trivial what-on-earth to pack for the potential of two cold, cold days, one spent outdoors on a bull and cow farm!  I wondered: what information would be presented to us? What would I learn about the safety and nutritional value of McDonald’s beef products? What should I expect of the tour of both the Cargill Meats Canada Beef Facility and the Lewis Family Farm (the Bull Development Farm and the Cattle Grazing Pasture)?

I had your specific questions and comments in mind as well, such as:

- What about the nutritional value of the McDonald’s hamburger?

- How does a McDonald’s hamburger differ from a burger you can make yourself at home (or buy pre-made in the frozen foods section of a grocery store)?

- Are there added fillers or is it really 100% beef?

- Hormones in beef? What is that all about?

- The urban legend of the McDonald’s hamburger’s immortality

– after a long time sitting out and exposed to air it does not mold. Hmmm?

- What is the process from farm to restaurant table?  Is it a safe, clean, humane and well-regulated routine?

DAY ONE

We headed to Spruce Grove, Alberta to the Cargill Meats Canada beef facility. After meeting the team we heard a presentation about their operations and Cargill’s relationship to McDonald’s as their beef supplier in Canada. We also discussed Cargill’s commitment to humane practices (they expect high standards will be met by any supplier that provides cuts of meat to the facility, both in terms of quality of the cut and the ethical, humane treatment of the animals when raised and slaughtered). More on this later!

We then toured the facility and saw the cuts of meat, which include lean (chuck, round and shank which are similar to roasts in you can buy in the grocery store) and trim (which consists of  beef trimmed off of Rib, Loin and Sirloin steak as well as that trimmed off of  Chuck and Round roast items).  We then moved on to see the process of grinding, a refrigerating process that uses CO2/dry ice to keep the meat cold (so that the meat stays together when formed into patties), the patty formation process, and then finally the freezing and packing process. I didn’t see any filler added, and I did learn that it is the cold process
that keeps the patties together in the absence of filler. There were many opportunities for questions so here are some answers I gathered:

Nutritional Value
The process that I saw was the forming of cuts of beef into patties without added fillers. Legally, to call them ‘beef patties,’ fillers are not allowed.  I asked if oil was added to the cooking process and I was told no.

The hamburger patties are however, by CFIA compositional standards, a medium ground beef patty, though lean beef is included in the mix. This explains why it looked like there was a lot of oil on the grill after we saw a sample cooked.  This was actually just some of the melted fat released from the patty during cooking because a medium ground beef patty has a higher fat content than a lean ground patty. I asked why a leaner blend was not used and the reason for this is based on consumer demand – people prefer the taste of a medium ground beef.

No Mold?
The Cargill and McDonald’s people showed us their own little experiment.  Mold does not grow on the surface of a cooked beef patty because there is not enough moisture remaining on the surface for it to grow.

DAY TWO

Day two was a little bit colder! We visited the Lewis Family Farm and there we met with Jordan Buba, a 4th generation farmer. We saw the Bull Development Farm where the bulls are kept and a cattle pasture where the cows can graze. This particular farm’s main business is producing calves, which are then sold to other farms for breeding cattle, so they are more directly involved in the start of the process of cattle farming for meat production.  This meant what we experienced on this visit was removed from the slaughter process, but this farm does send animals directly to slaughter.  We weren’t privy to this part of the process (personally, not something I want to confront anyway).

Also joining us at the farm and at the beef facility was a woman by the name of Fawn Jackson, a representative with Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). Fawn was available throughout the trip for any specific questions we had related to the Canadian beef industry in general and provided an overview of the beef standards and regulations in Canada. Questions that relate to the ethical treatment of animals and the use of hormones in cattle really apply to the Canadian beef industry as a whole rather than just McDonald’s. These are important questions to ask of anyone involved. So here are the answers we were provided with.

To the question of hormones in beef:
There are hormones in Canadian beef. These are used in order to help the cows use nutrients efficiently, which means this will help grow larger cows that carry a greater amount of lean tissue. The use of hormones in cattle also reduces the number of cattle needed for slaughter and reduces the amount of greenhouse gases (fewer cows, fewer gases). According to Health Canada, and you can read more here, hormones have been approved for use in Canadian beef. If you feel you are not happy with this and want to avoid beef with hormonal growth promotants, you should look for an organic supplier.  However, be aware, there is no such thing as “hormone-free beef.” Even beef raised organically will contain hormones because all animals produce hormones
naturally.

To the question of slaughter:
I had a long conversation with one of the Cargill representatives with respect to the slaughterhouses and the role of Dr. Temple Grandin, a global expert on animal welfare practices. McDonald’s has worked with Dr. Grandin to create the best kind of system and environment for slaughterhouses. If you want to learn more about Dr. Temple Grandin click here. McDonald’s and Cargill only work with suppliers who conform to the standards put in place and approved by Dr. Grandin and if any supplier is found to have treated an animal unfairly; they are immediately terminated as a supplier. Please note that my conversation was in regards to cattle.  If you have more animal welfare questions, please follow Maureen’s report on her trip to Cargill’s chicken facility-which is coming up next!

To the question of respecting the animal through complete use of the meat:
McDonald’s is just one of Cargill’s clients. Cargill supplies meat to other customers as well, like grocery stores. As an example, animal fat that is not used for human consumption is used in dog food or in the making of cosmetics, soap and other such products.

If you have a question not yet answered, please post it here. Maureen will continue to ask your questions or anything else that is on your mind about McDonald’s. Dialogue is really important!

You can read all about Mo's past trips at McDonald's All-Access Moms - McWaste? and McDonald's All-Access Moms: The tale of the Mystery Fries as well as about her blog on this trip.

You can also read the experience of the other All-Access Moms, Jill Amery (UrbanMommies.com), Tenille Lafontaine (FeistyFrugalandFabulous.com) and Cityline's Nanny Robina. All of the blogs are also on the All-Access Moms Cityline site!

Share your questions: post your comments here, on our Facebook Page or tweet @weewelcome or @kabannister on Twitter.