McDonald’s South Africa’s advances its “Know Our Food” campaign

Today, McDonald’s South Africa and its suppliers emphasised its transparency journey aimed at educating customers about the quality and sustainability sourcing of its food.

The customer of today is increasingly interested in where their food comes from, what is in it and how it is prepared. These questions are easily answered when the food is prepared by them in their homes but this is nearly impossible when it’s not.

Food consciousness continues to influence market maturity amongst customers who have shifted from the narrative of aesthetically pleasing food to a more responsible consumer outlook.

This trend which has given rise to heightened individual senses of responsibility when it comes to where food comes from means that customers now care more about the value chain that goes into their meals. Factors such as sustainability, sourcing, farming techniques, packaging and the actual nature of the ingredients continue to be heightened and influenced where customers buy their meals.

“We are cognisant of our customers' needs. Increasingly, our customers are very discerning about the food they consume. They want transparency and more information to make informed food choices. Through Know Our Food, we hope to demonstrate our pride in the food we serve to them,” says Daniel Padiachy, Chief Marketing Officer at McDonald’s South Africa.

“Our top priority is serving customers great-tasting, quality food. We believe in serving food in a way that supports quality ingredients, as well as sourcing beef, chicken and fresh produce from farmers who share the same values as we do,” continues Padiachy.

McDonald’s sources from, invests and collaborates with partners and suppliers who align with these values, while supporting projects and initiatives designed to help build a thriving, resilient food system.

Here are just a few of our supplier partnerships:

• Our beef is sourced from beef farmers in South Africa, such as the Fouries, who are committed to ethical and sustainable farming practices.
• The Rametses are one of the nurturing chicken farmers who provide great quality chicken for the much-loved McDonald’s chicken meals.
• We take our coffee seriously – from where we source it to how we brew it. That’s why every freshly-ground McCafé® coffee uses 100% responsibly sourced Arabica beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms.

“‘Know Our Food’ represents our ongoing commitment to transparency and customer satisfaction, we want our customers to feel confident about the food choices they make at McDonald’s, knowing that we prioritise quality, food safety, transparency, and responsible sourcing.” concludes Padiachy.

To learn more about McDonald’s ‘Know Our Food’ initiative, please visit www.knowourfood.co.za