One of the biggest restaurant chains in the world is supporting the Canadian government and its effort to implement mandatory livestock traceability by 2011.

"McDonald's believes that a robust, national traceability system is critical to ensuring consumer confidence and building brand trust in the beef industry," says Jeff Kroll, senior
vice-president of McDonald's Restaurants of Canada during a recent presentation to the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association.

"While it's an additional cost, we believe that it's simply the right thing to do. Traceability is the right thing for all of us to do for our businesses and our customers, both domestically and abroad," Kroll says.

Growing consumer awareness about food production and demand for greater food safety has caused McDonald's to emphasize traceability for all menu items. In 2009, the company purchased 64 million pounds of Canadian beef, 44 million pounds of chicken and 62 million eggs. In Canada, 2.8 million people eat at McDonald's daily -- almost 10 per cent of the population.

Kroll notes that since the 2003 BSE case, McDonald's has purchased 100 per cent Canadian beef for its Canadian restaurants. They have also been part of a program to trace their beef, if concerns arose.