STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

Duane A. Lienemann
UNL Extension Educator

     Something just came across my desk that caught me by surprise and actually made me do a double take. There was a newsbyte that says by the year 2016, McDonald’s will source only “verified sustainable beef.” McDonald's says its timetable is to support development of global principles and criteria in 2014; develop targets for purchasing verified sustainable beef; and finally to begin purchasing sustainable beef in 2016. The pledge, announced this past week is an effort I would assume to make the fast-food chain’s involvement in meat production both greener and kinder/friendlier to the animals whose meat winds up in its burgers. Just one problem: no one knows exactly what sustainable beef is. I did find a statement that was posted to their website and the fast-food king said it wants “To improve environmental practices in the way beef is produced, support positive workplaces in the beef industry, and drive continuous improvement in animal health and welfare. A world in which ALL the beef in our supply chain comes from verified sustainable sources.” You can find more at: www.aboutmcdonalds.com/content/mcd/sustainability/signature_programs/beef-sustainability.html  
     I have my own views on the word “sustainable” and its implications for agriculture, but I wonder just what it is they think is sustainable, or how they define how a beef producer qualifies. This could be very interesting in how they broach this goal as first; there is the matter of semantics --as there hasn't been a universal definition of sustainable beef; and furthermore, the beef supply chain is fragmented with ranchers, suppliers, slaughter houses and patty producers working independently. I also wonder about the statement of “verified.” How and who are major questions in my mind?
     Sustainable beef has been used to describe everything from more effective land use, no use of growth-promoting antibiotics, even organic and/or natural beef. Others look at it as the product of beef producers who are using more nutritional feed or only producing grass-fed beef. I am sure somewhere in the discussion is greenhouse gas emission and how it is related to beef in the supply chain. Their site says that beef represents about 28% of McDonald’s carbon footprint, so it would be logical that what they call “sustainable” beef would be at the top of its agenda. They point out that - “Beyond the greenhouse gas emissions associated with raising cows and producing beef, other major environmental impacts include deforestation and land degradation for cattle grazing or feed; the contamination of water, air and other natural resources; and the energy and natural resources embedded in fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides for grain to feed cattle.”
     Fortunately, McDonald’s has been receiving input from a variety of stakeholder groups as they work to define and promote sustainable beef production through Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) which includes World Wildlife Fund, NCBA, Cargill, Elanco, JBS, Merck Animal Health, and Walmart. The consortium in their words “has drafted guiding principles/best practices for sustainable beef - a breakthrough for the beef industry, and for McDonald’s.” However, they have not yet drafted a set of rules for beef production for their suppliers. We must remember that beef isn’t the only sustainability issue that they are currently looking at, but it’s not surprising that it’s McDonald’s main focus right now, considering the chain sells about 1 billion pounds of beef annually in the United States. That is a lot of beef!
     I for one do not find this entirely surprising that McDonald’s is being vocal about its newest efforts to go green, as the company has been addressing public concerns about beef for years. However, it is still a significant undertaking that may convince others to do the same and that gives me some cause to pause and think about the potential consequences of their announcement.  The bottom line from a purely business standpoint is that it makes marketing sense, of course, for McDonald’s to commit to sustainable beef purchasing, because room in the fast food industry is as tight as ever, and their company faces stiff competition. Especially with higher meat prices every retailer is looking for an edge.
    We all know about the bad press that is given animal agriculture and in particular – restaurants or food retailers. Think of what Chipotle’s did with their “Scarecrow” and “Back to the Start” videos www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE  and www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMfSGt6rHos  respectively - just to point out one company’s effort to jump on the trend that seems to be set by anti-animal livestock groups, vegan organizations and of course animal rights groups like HSUS and PETA to name a couple. I am sure that in their eyes the company has no choice but to follow suit in the “sustainable beef” trend if it wants to keep its head above water in this increasingly saturated and aggressive market.
     Supposedly, studies suggest consumers are usually willing to pay more for beef that is hormone and/or steroid-free, anti-biotic free--- or so-called natural meat, so McDonald’s is hoping that its beef’s sustainable label will not only draw customers into stores but also keep them there. The company needs new ways to set itself apart from the competition, and it looks like it just found one. McDonald’s still has two years to get itself prepared for its new commitment, but during that time, the company said on its website that it will “listen, learn, and collaborate with stakeholders from farm to the front counter to develop sustainable beef solutions.” I hope that is the case and we as beef producers can be a legitimate part of that discussion, dialogue and partners in determining what “sustainable beef” is and strives to be. One size does not fit all.  It looks to me that we as beef producers need to continue telling our story and keep hammering home that we humanely see to the health and comfort of our animals and strive to be sustainable as a business--- or we would be literally out of business! For the life of me I cannot understand why they all think we don’t! Folks---this stuff just keeps coming at us!!

   The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/home