The Beef Suppliers Behind McDonald's Iconic Burgers

You might not think of McDonald's as the highest quality burger, but the fast food icon wouldn't be what it is today without having some reliable beef suppliers. Every year McDonald's serves north of 6 billion burgers worldwide, consuming around two billion pounds of beef. Even in the United States alone a billion pounds of beef is produced every year to make all of McDonald's iconic menu items from the small basic hamburger to the Big Mac. And while some people may question what goes into a McDonald's burger, the reality is they are 100% real beef, with only salt and pepper added as they cook. That kind of industrial scale cooking requires suppliers that can be relied on to deliver consistent quality beef, and for decades McDonald's has relied on two big partners to do that: Lopez Foods and Keystone Foods.

McDonald's relationship with both of these suppliers is clearly a major part of its business, as both have been working with the chain for over 30 years, delivering not just beef but also chicken. Based in Oklahoma, Lopez Foods was created in the '90s specifically to supply McDonald's with beef after the company became concerned that rivals could buy into its supply chains. Keystone Foods goes back further, growing out of a family-owned beef business that was transformed by longtime owner Herb Lotman. Both businesses don't just supply McDonald's with beef, they've been behind some of the chain's biggest innovations.

Keystone Foods has been working with McDonald's since the '60s, and Lotman was behind two of the biggest innovations that helped the chain's rapid growth. He was behind the original individual quick freezing process that helped McDonald's flash freeze beef patties for distribution, a process that is still used today for most of their burgers. Keystone also worked with McDonald's to develop an all-in-one distribution model for the company's supplies so everything needed to start a new franchise could be delivered in one shipment. Coming a little later, Lopez Foods worked on improving McDonald's reputation by pioneering its fresh beef distribution, which became the cornerstone of McDonald's popular Quarter-Pounder.

Ironically, maybe the most famous product either of these companies are known for isn't beef at all, as Keystone Foods was also one of the original companies that worked on creating the original McNugget. McDonald's worked with several companies to help develop the recipe for the Chicken McNugget, including Gorton's of fish stick fame on the batter, and Keystone was the chicken supplier that created the bite-sized chicken chunks. The nuggets were such a success that when they were introduced in 1983, McDonald's instantly became the second largest chicken seller in the world, and today Keystone provides the company with twice as much chicken as beef. It shows that such long-term partnerships can often lead to success in unexpected ways.