The iconic burger turns 50 this year
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
An iconic hamburger from the franchise with the golden arches is celebrating its golden jubilee this year.
The Big Mac, arguably McDonalds’ most popular food item, turns 50 in 2018. Consumers eat about 550 million Big Macs in the U.S. alone, the franchise estimates.
Since the burger’s national American launch in 1968, customers have enjoyed the combination of “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, (and) onions – on a sesame seed bun,” the burger’s jingle says.
In Canada, the beef in a Big Mac comes from local farms.
McDonald’s Canada launched its Not Without Canadian Farmers campaign in 2015 to showcase its commitment to using locally produced beef. Some packaging even features that slogan.
Dedication to Canadian agriculture from any restaurant chain is a win-win situation, said Chris McQuid, a beef producer from Vermilion, Alta.
“It’s obviously great for farmers that places like (McDonald’s) use and promote locally produced food,” he told Farms.com today. “It’s also great for consumers because they really tend to support local farmers. When consumers know where the food is coming from, it gives them confidence in the ag industry.”
Farmers are proud to be part of a great food story.
Franchises like McDonald’s could source beef from wherever they want but choosing Canadian beef makes raising those cattle extra special, said Paula Larson, a beef producer from D’Arcy, Sask. and director with the province’s Cattlemen’s Association.
“Canadian beef is the best in the world,” she told Farms.com today. “In my opinion, there’s no reason for restaurants and fast food chains to use anything but locally produced beef.”
Being associated with reputable organizations can also help dispel myths about agriculture.
Often only one side of agriculture is documented, which can lead to misinformation, said Brian Lemon, general manager of Manitoba Beef Producers.
"When we hear that only half of the ag story is being told, it causes us constranation," he told Farms.com today. "Beef production adds so much value to the envirnonment and natural habitats, and to only hear about the flatulence of our cows and suggest that's whole story on greenhouse gases is false."
McDonald's photo