McDonald's Corporation

McDonald's provides a public high-level disclosure of its core menu items in its annual report, highlighting amongst others, its offerings which include hamburgers, cheeseburgers, Fillet-O-Fish, Chicken Nuggets, the McChicken sandwich, McFlurry, Sausage McMuffin with Egg and Egg McMuffin. The company does not provide a granular breakdown by volume or revenue of its purchased proteins, but McDonald’s does state that beef and fish are included in its priority commodities list. In its 2024 Annual Report, the company suggests it is focusing on building its reputation for chicken and has increased its chicken market share.

Poultry: In 2015, McDonald's introduced an antibiotics policy in the US to only source chicken raised without antibiotics important to human medicine as defined by the WHO. This policy covers approximately 31% of its global restaurant footprint and aligns with WHO Recommendations 1, 2, 3, 4a, and 4b. The company previously stated that it achieved this in 2016 but has not recently reported if it remains compliant with this policy. In 2017, McDonald’s introduced its Chicken Antibiotics Policy which aims to eliminate the use of highest priority critically important antibiotics (HPCIAs) by 2027, in alignment with WHO Recommendation 4b. The company reports that it has eliminated the use of HPCIAs from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the US, with China expected to comply before the end of 2027. This has not changed since the last phase of the engagement in 2022. McDonald’s also states that as part of its Chicken Antibiotics Policy, it does not permit the routine use of antibiotics for prophylaxis and growth promotion. This is in alignment with WHO Recommendations 1, 2, and 3. However, the company does not clarify the percentage of its global broiler chicken supply chain that is in the scope of this part of the policy or that is currently in compliance. Beef: McDonald’s has an ‘Antibiotic Policy for our Beef Supply Chain’, which states that the use of medically important antimicrobials (MIAs) is not permitted for growth promotion or habitual disease prevention. If non-routine prevention is deemed necessary, McDonald's encourages the adoption of a tiered approach to antibiotic selection with HPCIAs reserved as a last resort. The company also prohibits the use of critically important antibiotics (CIAs) for the control within a group or treatment of a group, for a clinically diagnosed infectious disease unless deemed necessary by a veterinarian. This policy is aligned with the WHO’s Recommendations 1, 2, 3, and 4a but not 4b as it does not ban the use of HPCIAs. There has been no update to McDonald’s ‘Antibiotic Policy for our Beef Supply Chain’ since 2022. In 2022, McDonald’s published its ‘Market-Specific Target/Guidance for the Responsible Use of Antibiotics’ which sets thresholds for the total use of MIAs measured in mg of active ingredient/kg of live weight slaughtered in beef and dairy. This covers 10 in scope markets (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Poland, the U.K., and the US) which McDonald’s reports represented over 80% of its supply chain in 2024. Its target for the total use of MIAs in Australia, Brazil, Canada, US, New Zealand is <50 mg/kg for dairy, and <35 mg/kg for beef. For France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, and the UK it is <21.5 mg/Population Correction Unit total for dairy, and <10 mg/PCU total for beef. These targets are not time-bound and the company does not report its current usage levels. Additionally, the targets for beef are for the last farm, feed yard or ranch prior to slaughter and for dairy cows, the scope is 365 days before slaughter. It is unclear what percentage of each cow’s life is therefore covered by these policies. Dairy: The company’s ‘Antibiotic Policy for our Beef Supply Chain’ was previously named ‘Antibiotic Policy for Beef and Dairy Beef’. The details of this policy are outlined above, however, its policy requirements prohibiting the use of MIAs for growth promotion or habitual disease prevention, and restricting the use of CIAs, only appear to apply to its beef supply chain. Dairy cows are only included in its Market Specific Targets 365 days before their slaughter for beef. The company does not appear to have an antibiotic use policy or targets for any other stage of a dairy cow's life. Pork: McDonald’s does not publicly disclose an antibiotics policy for its pork supply chain; however, the company did report that it would communicate and deploy its policy to pork industries in its in-scope markets in 2023. McDonald’s confirmed that it communicated a policy with its suppliers in 2023, but does not yet report that it has been deployed. The company states that it plans to update its policy to align with WHO guidelines. The updated WHO guidelines were released in February 2024. The company has not provided a date for deploying or publishing its updated pork policy or confirmed which markets its policy would cover. Egg Layers: McDonald’s has not yet disclosed an antibiotic policy specifically for laying hens or specified if they are included in its chicken antibiotics policy. In its 2023-2024 Progress and Impact Report, McDonald’s stated that Cargill is a supplier of its US cage-free eggs. Cargill discloses that it does not use antibiotics for growth promotion, prophylactic use, or disease prevention in its US supply. This is in alignment with the WHO recommendations 1, 2, and 3. McDonald’s could consider updating its disclosure related to antibiotic use in its egg supply to reflect this. It is unclear what percentage of McDonald’s US eggs are supplied by Cargill. Seafood: McDonald’s states 97% of the fish it uses is for the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish® sandwich. It also discloses that 94% of the fish sourced for this sandwich was from sustainably managed wild-caught fisheries. As the majority of McDonald’s fish is therefore wild-caught and not prescribed antibiotics, FAIRR does not consider the development of a seafood antibiotics policy a priority at this time. Note that McDonald’s has published its ‘Global Vision for Antibiotic Stewardship in Food Animals’ (VAS) which serves as a framework for developing species-specific policies. It outlines seven criteria to guide its work and serve as goals for its suppliers. This includes veterinary oversight, not sourcing raw materials from animals treated with HPCIAs or with antibiotics used for growth promotion, prohibiting the use of HPCIAs as a first-line treatment, prohibiting the use of antibiotics for routine prevention, adopting production practices to reduce antibiotic use, and benchmarking and measuring antibiotic use data.

McDonald’s goal to eliminate the use of HPCIAs from its broilers by 2027 applies to Brazil, Canada, Japan, South Korea, the US, Australia, China, and Europe. The use of HPCIAs has been eliminated from all chicken served in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the US, with China still expected to comply before the end of 2027. Furthermore, the company specified in 2016 that it had prohibited the use of antibiotics important to human medicine from broilers in all US restaurants. It is unclear, however, from which markets it has prohibited the routine use of antibiotics for prophylaxis or growth promotion. McDonald's ‘Antibiotic Policy for its Beef Supply Chain’ as well as its ‘Market-Specific Targets for Responsible Use of Antibiotics in Beef’ apply to its top 10 beef sourcing markets: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Poland, the UK, and the US, which the company reported represented about 80% of its supply chain in 2024. The company does not disclose which of its markets or what percentage of its supply chain currently complies with its policy.

McDonald’s discloses that it has eliminated the use of HPCIAs in broilers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the US. Since 2019, McDonald's has tracked the use of MIAs in its chicken supply chain for its top sales markets, representing almost 13 billion birds. However, McDonald’s does not publicly disclose this antibiotic usage data. McDonald's does not currently disclose its antibiotic use data or compliance with its ‘Antibiotic Policy for our Beef Supply Chain’. The company reports that data on antibiotic use in the beef industry is limited, but had previously set a goal that included partnering in the collection of antibiotic use data and measuring progress on responsible use in the global beef industry. The company has made progress towards this goal, reporting that in 2024, it launched One Health Beef, a closed-loop, real-time data system in the US that can help collect information on antibiotic use alongside other information about cattle health. It is unclear whether the company plans to report on the antibiotic data collected as part of this initiative. Regarding data collection in other locations, the company has previously stated that some of its suppliers in the UK and European markets already participate in mandatory reporting and the company is exploring how it can use this information in its own tracking and reporting. For antibiotic use in its pork supply, the company has updated its disclosure to state that it has begun data collection in China, it is looking into voluntary reporting in the UK and Germany, and is currently collaborating with suppliers in the US pork industry to understand the potential for developing a database model for reporting antibiotic use data. The company has not provided any timelines regarding this. McDonald’s has not disclosed evidence that it collects antibiotic use data for its egg layers. It is also unclear if it intends to collect antibiotic use data for its dairy cows before they are considered for beef.

One of McDonald’s three priority areas outlined in its VAS is to develop methods to verify the responsible use of antibiotics and establish goals for measuring progress. McDonald’s reports that a third-party provider, ‘Food Animal Initiative’ (FAI), manages the data collection in its top chicken sales markets. For beef, the company states that it continues to collaborate with suppliers to collect antibiotic use data through independent third parties and provides the new One Health Beef project as an example of this. It is unclear if the data being collected for its pork supply in China is audited by a third party, or if the database it is considering developing with its US suppliers will collect data that is audited by a third party.

McDonald’s does not disclose how it manages non-compliance with its antibiotics policies in its supply chain.

The company does not have forward-looking, time-bound reduction targets for its beef, dairy, pork, or egg supply chains. McDonald’s has set a target to prohibit the use of HPCIAs from its broiler supply chain in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the US by January 2027. The company has not updated its market-specific targets for responsible use of antibiotics for beef to include a time-bound implementation plan.

McDonald's publicly discloses that its goal to prohibit the use of HPCIAs from its global broiler supply chain applies to Brazil, Canada, Japan, South Korea, the US, Australia, China, and Europe. McDonald’s targets for beef covers 10 in scope markets (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Poland, the UK, and the US), however, this target is not time-bound. The company is moving towards increasing data collection around antibiotic use which it highlights is a challenge in this sector.

McDonald’s reports its progress towards its goal of prohibiting the use of HPICIAs in its global broiler supply chain. Currently, all HPCIAs have been eliminated from all chicken served in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the US, and it expects China to comply before the end of 2027. This progress has not changed since the previous reporting cycle. McDonald’s has not disclosed any progress towards achieving its market-specific targets for beef and dairy before slaughter. Additionally, the company has not stated what the current average total use of MIAs is per mg/PCU and mg/kg for beef and dairy, which makes it difficult for investors to understand its current exposure and distance from its targets. McDonald’s has not provided a clear timeline as to when it intends to be able to report on antibiotic use levels for its beef supply in any of its markets, making it difficult for investors to assess its progress towards this. The company announced its One Health Beef Program in the US in 2024, and it remains to be seen if it will report on its findings from this. McDonald’s has not publicly disclosed targets to reduce antibiotic use for its pork and egg layers or dairy cows (earlier than 365 days before slaughter).