Mcdonalds Will Switch to 100% Freedom Food Labelled Pork

Overnight the RSPCA UK Announced Mcdonalds Will Switch to 100% British Freedom Food Labelled Pork - Across Its Entire UK Menu.

Freedom Food is the RSPCA’s farm certification scheme version of the Royal New Zealand SPCA’s ‘Blue Tick’ farm accreditation scheme, launched in New Zealand in 2009.

With this move McDonald’s becomes the UK’s second biggest buyer of Freedom Food pork. The investment is part of McDonald’s commitment to align the quality and sourcing of ingredients with consumers’ changing preferences and expectations. McDonalds UK have served free range eggs throughout Britain for more than 8 years.

“This is a great win for the animals. Companies like McDonalds have a huge impact on the way our animals are farmed around the world due to the large volumes they use.” says Juliette Banks, National Accreditation and Marketing Manager – SPCA Blue Tick

“We have had little response to any of our attempts to engage with McDonalds in New Zealand, with commitment to making free range eggs available only in the Christchurch and Dunedin restaurants. This indicates that McDonalds’ animal welfare attitude is not global.”

The SPCA asks McDonalds, and indeed all other fast food businesses, to step up and lead the way to help improve animal welfare in New Zealand.

“New Zealand has enough land, layer hens, chickens, pigs and farmers willing to supply McDonalds or other fast food chains, with the quantities of high welfare products they require.” says Robyn Kippenberger, National Chief Executive – Royal New Zealand SPCA

“Fast food restaurants have huge influence on attitudes to food. Millions of children can be made aware that there is a ‘better’ choice. If their ‘favorite’ meals take animal welfare into account, they will carry that message through into their future consumer behaviour

At the end of the day it comes down to profits. This announcement puts us well behind what the UK are doing and New Zealanders should care about the impact this has on our animal welfare reputation - 55% of our GDP comes from Primary Industries.”

The SPCA asks consumers, as the most powerful change agents, to speak up and support this change by expressing their desire for high welfare fast food.

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