McDonald’s to focus on farming in its Olympics advertising

McDonald’s is utilising its London 2012 Olympic Games sponsorship as an opportunity to boost British agriculture and raise awareness of the key role British farms will play in providing produce for the Olympic Games.

McDonald's campaign
McDonald’s campaign

The fast food chain will feature the farms in its national television advertising ahead of the games and will aim to promote the best practice in standards and welfare that its farms work to.

This will include a scheme opening the gates to some of its supplier farms, which will also be providing meals for athletes, organisers and spectators at the London 2012 games.

Members of the public will be able to visit the farms that will supply quality British and Irish produce for what the restaurant chain says “is the biggest peacetime catering operation in the world.”

McDonald’s UK chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, says: “The London 2012 Olympic Games is a once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate the best of British farming. McDonald’s will use its involvement in the games to show what British farming has to offer. The farms supplying the Olympics are standard bearers in terms of exacting quality and welfare standards and we will promote the best back to all within the farming community.”

“Opening up some of the farms that supply our restaurants today and will proudly continue to do so for the Olympics is a first step in this journey. We want people to see the pride they take in growing and rearing high quality produce. Our aim is to contribute to further improvements in the quality of produce, to strengthen those businesses and help secure a stronger farming sector.”

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games has backed the plans. Its chairman, Lord Sebastian Coe says: “We want to enhance everyone’s experience of the games by celebrating the great diversity and quality of British food on offer. The sheer scale of providing 14 million meals in just four weeks means this is a genuine opportunity for British agriculture.

“The strong partnerships McDonald’s has built with British agriculture will help us deliver the food vision we have set out for the games and help us deliver an Olympic legacy for farming.”

Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers Union, adds: “The scale and reach of the London 2012 Olympics Games, coupled with its sourcing standards, is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the best of quality British food to a domestic and international audience. This shop window will raise the profile of British agriculture, allow it to demonstrate the industry’s world leading standards of production and help meet future challenges.”

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