McDonald’s to go green with coffee
McDonald’s is attempting to appeal to the growing number of Australian consumers looking for environmentally friendly products.
Via their McCafe outlets, McDonald’s are planning to ensure that all the coffee they sell comes from environmentally friendly coffee growing areas. To do this they will need to source almost 500 tonnes of coffee this year from farms in South America which undergo an annual inspection by the Rainforest Alliance, an international not-for-profit conservation organisation. McDonald’s, who committed to the program in their UK outlets early last year, has been widely criticised previously for not promoting sustainability.
McDonald’s Australia insist that the move is not merely a publicity grab and is part of an ongoing commitment to become a more sustainable company. “We are only starting this journey in the way we look at sustainability,” McDonald’s Queensland manager, Andrew Gregory, told The Courier Mail.
The move to more sustainable produce is not new and represents a growing trend in both the food and beverage industries. Australian coffee chain Gloria Jean’s, for example, has been involved with the Rainforest Alliance for three years and has now committed to sourcing 85 per cent of their total coffee supply from certified farms over the next three years.
