Business

Future of Big Mac dependent on more choosing farming career

The success of the Big Mac is dependent on quality ingredients from farmers, Conor McVeigh said
The success of the Big Mac is dependent on quality ingredients from farmers, Conor McVeigh said The success of the Big Mac is dependent on quality ingredients from farmers, Conor McVeigh said

A SENIOR manager at McDonald's has said the company could face a major supply problem within 10 years, if more young people are not encouraged to take up farming.

The fast food restaurant chain spends almost £1 billion annually on supplies sourced across Ireland and Britain.

But the company's supply chain director in the UK, Conor McVeigh said the entire agri-food industry faced a skills gap over the coming decade.

That was one of the main messages the company brought to the Balmoral Show last week as it showcased its new Follow our Foodsteps campaign.

The initiative uses virtual reality to give users an insight into what it is like work on a farm and at other parts of the McDonald's supply chain.

Mr McVeigh said it was part of drive to get more young people farming which he said was crucial to the future of the restaurant group.

"The important message behind this is that we are a big customer to British and Irish farming," he said.

"We know customers are going to want an increase in locally sourced food."

However, Mr McVeigh said there was "a bit of a disconnect between that level of demand over the next 10 years going forward and a lack of young people coming into the industry".

"That is one of the things farmers have said to us is a big concern. We know McDonald's is going to want to have an increased amount of quality locally sourced product but we don't have enough people coming into the industry to produce it.

"The numbers that we've seen in third party research would suggest that in the next 10 years in the UK alone, 170,000 people are needed in order to sustain the demand.

"Young people that are getting careers advice, they're not getting careers advice about farming."

Mr McVeigh said McDonald's needed to play its part in showcasing agri-food as a career choice, "because we're so reliant on British and Irish farmers".

"We spend a little over £900 million a year in our UK supply chain," he said.

"The vast majority of that is spent on British and Irish farmers.

"We really want our suppliers to be successful.

"We only buy 220 ingredients. The beef, the lettuce, the buns - but we buy a lot of it.

"We're so reliant on the suppliers and farmers because if they can't give the quality or volume on time that we're looking for, we don't have a business."

And he said having a "relationship approach" to farmers ensured the future success of some of McDonald's best known brand.

"For example, 28g of iceberg lettuce goes into a Big Mac. If that supplier isn't being paid a fair price, doesn't have a long term committment from ourselves, we not only don't have lettuce, we dont' have a Big Mac.