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McD's switches to Aussie beef?

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    McD's switches to Aussie beef?

    Macca's Aussie beef
    AAP
    03apr02

    Australian cattle farmers have conquered an American icon, the McDonald's hamburger.

    The giant of the world's fast food chains is to trial Australian and New Zealand beef in 400 of its 13,000 US outlets because of a shortage of home-grown cattle.

    While American ranchers have already expressed a concern about the move, it seems the trial is simply the first step towards fully integrating Australian beef into US burgers.

    Already McDonald's uses Australian beef in Asia and the Middle East.

    Recently, to quell concerns over mad cow disease in Japan, consumers were told their Big Macs and Quarterpounders were solely made from clean, green and mad cow-free Aussie beef.

    McDonald's spokesman Walt Riker said the company had been forced into using Australian beef because of prices and a shortage of lean beef.

    "The supply just isn't there," he said.

    The American beef herd has been running down for the past five years, and with prices improving, local farmers are holding on to older cattle that would normally end up in burgers.

    Australia last year filled its US quota into the US of 378,000 tonnes for the first time, and the quota is expected to be filled even quicker this year.

    Australian and New Zealand beef is selling at A40 cents to $A1.20 a kilogram cheaper than its American competitors, making it attractive to companies like McDonald's.

    Already some of McDonald's biggest competitors, Wendy's and Burger King, use Australian beef without any concern from customers.

    Peter Barnard from Meat and Livestock Australia said McDonald's decision to trial Aussie beef in its burgers was just a natural progression for the company.

    He said the success of Australian beef in McDonald's Asian and Middle Eastern outlets proved the move in the US would succeed.

    "We've been exporting to the food services industry in the US for many, many years, and this is another step with McDonald's joining up," he told AAP.

    "Australian beef is regarded as a very good product, and we're regarded as very reliable suppliers of a top quality, clean and green product, and that's what's working in our favour."

    But Mr Barnard warned the biggest problem facing both Australian and US cattle farmers was competition from chicken and pork.

    He said fast food companies were increasingly using chicken and pork products over beef.

    "In terms of the US and Australian beef farmers, getting the food industry to stick with beef is the biggest issue," he said.

    #2
    And what will they call it? McRoo! Remember Jack-in-the Box?

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