McDonald’s Planning To Buy Only Sustainable Coffee By 2020

Image courtesy of MIKI Yoshihito. (#mikiyoshihito)

As more consumers become interested in where their food — drinks included — comes from, McDonald’s is pledging to buy 100% of its coffee from sustainable sources by 2020.

The Golden Arches is pairing up with Conservation International, an environmental group that has urged reformation of the coffee industry, Bloomberg reports. McDonald’s has some work to do in the next few years: last year the chain said 37% of its coffee was bought from certified sustainable sources.

“We want to make sure that we have sufficient supply of high-quality coffee for the long run,” said Townsend Bailey, head of supply-chain sustainability for the chain. “With changing dynamics in coffee with climate change, it’s really an important topic to make sure we are engaging farmers and helping them.”

This is just the latest move by McDonald’s to appeal to consumers who are increasingly looking for more transparency in the food process: in August, the chain announced 100% antibiotic-free McNuggets, and that it would remove high fructose corn syrup from its buns.

“Our customers want to see where are products come from, what’s in it and how it’s made,” Bailey notes.

McDonald’s Is Moving to Sustainable Coffee in Latest Menu Change [Bloomberg]

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