From the Nees Archives ...

Grassfed meat at McDonald's??

Yes and no. McDonald's is now making up for the scarcity of lean beef in the US beef supply by importing meat from New Zealand and Australia, countries that still raise and finish the bulk of their cattle on pasture. Hamburgers made from the meat of these grassfed animals are now being tested in 400 of McDonald's 13,000 US stores—all in the Southeast.

Does that mean that some lucky customers are getting extra helpings of omega-3 fatty acids, CLA, and beta carotene in their Big Macs? Yes and no. The standard practice in hamburger chains is to mix lean beef with low-cost fat trimmings from beef packing plants. This means that the meat from the pastured animals is being mixed with fat from US grainfed animals, canceling out many of its benefits.

Return to News Archives