McDonald’s has not stopped sourcing beef from Canada

“McDonald's has announced they will be buying all of their meat in the US,” the April 30, 2020 post claims, adding that “it is time to stop going to McDonald's if they are willing to take our Canadian money but refuse to support our beef industry.”

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Screenshot of the post taken on July 7, 2020

Although McDonald’s has had to reduce the amount of beef sourced in Canada during the novel coronavirus pandemic, the central claim made in the post is false.

“Due to unprecedented COVID-19 impacts on the Canadian beef supply chain, McDonald’s Canada had to temporarily adjust our supply to incorporate beef from outside Canada in order to meet the current demand,” a spokeswoman for McDonald’s Canada told AFP via email.

“As of June 29, 2020, Canadian beef accounts for 81 percent of total beef used in the production of all beef burger patties since adjusting our beef supply, on average. McDonald's is committed to supporting Canadian ranchers and farmers, and we look forward to returning to sourcing 100 percent Canadian beef as quickly as possible,” she added.

This was confirmed by a representative from Canada’s beef industry.

“We understand the decision made by McDonald’s Canada and their need to temporarily supplement Canadian beef with outside sources while our processing capacity has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic” a spokeswoman for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association told AFP via email.

“McDonald’s Canada is still a loyal partner to Canadian farmers and ranchers and has committed to sourcing 100 percent Canadian beef as soon as the supply is available.”