McDonald's: We Need To Define What 'Sustainable' Beef Means

Bloomberg recently spoke with Bob Langert, McDonald's Corp.'s sustainability vice president, about the fast food chain's recent sustainability projects, specifically those concerning beef.

Since March of 2011, the company has been ramping up its sustainability efforts. At the time, it released a press release that read, in part, "McDonald's ... accept[s] the responsibility that comes with our global presence."

The company has indeed taken strides. McDonald's Europe buys coffee certified by the Rainforest Alliance, and the entire company aims to use only certified-sustaiable palm oil by 2015. Several other pilot programs to help sustainability efforts in other areas are now in development.

Langert echoed so much in his interview with Bloomberg, which appeared in the publication's Carbon & Clean Energy Brief on Tuesday. But, perhaps the most interesting part of his talk was his call to define beef's sustainability:

With some products [like beef], there’s not even a definition for what sustainable is. We want to use our size and influence to work with the industry and NGOs to come up with definitions of sustainable beef. Ultimately we want to scale the very best practices. ...

Can we say we’re buying any sustainable beef today? No, we can’t. Could we be buying sustainable beef? We might be. What I mean by that is that there are no standards, measures, accountability and traceability to make those claims today.

His point is a good one. Qualifications like "organic" have definitions -- in the U.S., only products approved as "certified organic" by the USDA are allowed the label -- but other buzzwords like "sustainable" and "local" are used broadly and don't adhere to a defined set of principles.

If McDonald's is to make it's beef sustainable, then it makes sense to determine what exactly that means. Perhaps the beef industry can take a cue from the work that's been done to define the sustainability of seafood and fish by groups like the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch and the Blue Ocean Institute.

Fish sustainability efforts have resulted in measurable success. Earlier this year, Whole Foods moved to ban the sale of all unsustainable seafood in all of its stores, and in 2011 McDonald's itself promised to serve sustainable fish in its European eateries.

[h/t The Consumerist]

Loading Slideshow

• Gray Sole

  Wild-caught <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_search.aspx?s=gray+sole" target="_hplink">gray sole</a>, or Atlantic sole, has been dangerously overfished over the last 50 years, leaving its numbers are very low. Whole Foods will instead buy more flounder, a similar species.

• Skate

  <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_search.aspx?s=skate" target="_hplink">Skate</a> has also been very overfished. The majority are caught with bottom trawls, which result in accidental catches and significant damage to the seafloor.

• Atlantic Cod

  <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_search.aspx?s=atlantic cod" target="_hplink">Atlantic cod</a> caught by trawlers will be banned, although some caught by gillnets or hook and line will be allowed by Whole Foods. <em>Photo by Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/maritimeaquarium/5121214242/sizes/l/in/photostream/" target="_hplink">Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk</a>.</em>

• Atlantic Halibut

  Most <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_search.aspx?s=atlantic halibut" target="_hplink">Atlantic halibut</a> have been overfished. They're also often caught with trawls, which disturb and destroy the seafloor.

• Octopus

  <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_search.aspx?s=octopus" target="_hplink">Octopus</a> is a popular ingredient in sushi, though there's little firm population data available. However, most octopus are caught in bottom trawlfisheries, which have concerning levels of bycatch and can damage the seafloor. <em>Photo by Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xcbiker/544256864/sizes/l/in/photostream/" target="_hplink">XcBiker</a>.</em>

• Sturgeon

  The numbers of imported <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_search.aspx?s=sturgeon" target="_hplink">wild sturgeon</a> have taken a dive as a result of overfishing for their eggs, or caviar.

• Tautog

  Partly as a result of their slow rates of reproduction and growth, populations of <a href="http://www.blueocean.org/programs/seafood-search-result?dropdownlist=&sushi=n&keyword=tautog&x=0&y=0" target="_hplink">tautog</a> are low.

• Turbot

  This large flat fish is <a href="http://www.blueocean.org/seafood/seafood-search-result?dropdownlist=&keyword=turbot&x=0&y=0" target="_hplink">overfished in the Atlantic</a>.

• Imported Wild Shrimp

  Imported wild <a href="http://www.blueocean.org/programs/seafood-search-result?dropdownlist=&sushi=n&keyword=shrimp&x=0&y=0" target="_hplink">shrimp</a> are often caught with bottom trawls that damage the seabed and result in bycatch of endangered species like sea turtles.

• Rockfish

  Some species of <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_search.aspx?s=rockfish" target="_hplink">rockfish</a> will disappear from Whole Foods, but others will still be found. Among the threatened varieties are some species of Alaskan rockfish, which may already be locally depleted. They're also caught with environmentally-destructive trawls.

• Tuna

  Whole Foods stopped selling bluefin <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_search.aspx?s=tuna" target="_hplink">tuna</a> several years ago, and now banned tunas include species listed as "<a href="http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2011/04/no-red-rated-tuna-swordfish/" target="_hplink">red</a>" by its partners. <em>Photo by Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/invernodreaming/6125533828/sizes/o/in/photostream/" target="_hplink">InvernoDreaming</a>.</em>

• Swordfish

  Many <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_search.aspx?s=swordfish" target="_hplink">swordfish</a> are caught with methods that are often snare sea turtles, seabirds and sharks. Whole Foods will only carry swordfish caught using handlines, which involve a single baited line that catch one fish at a time and result in virtually no bycatch.

Comments

[Tom Harbold]

10:17 PM on 10/03/2012

"Sustainable" is one of those words, like "natural," that means different things to different people. But it is of vital importance as we move into a future of growing population, climate change, and many other challenges. It is also important, in my view, to ensure that industries which may benefit from the way sustainability standards are constructed do not have an outsized role in developing such standards. Taking a cue from programs like Safe Seafood and Blue Ocean Institute is wise. But it is incorrect to state that there is no existing standard for sustainability when it comes to products such as beef. The Food Alliance points out that its Sustainability Standard for Livestock Operations has defined socially and environmentally sound beef production for participating producers since 2000, and further points out that Food Alliance Certified beef is raised using humane handling methods, in healthy living conditions, with no added hormones or antibiotics. The Sustainability Standard for Livestock Operations may be found at: http://www.foodalliance.org/livestock.

[John Harrington]

02:19 PM on 10/03/2012

@McDonalds: see the FA Sustainability Standard for Livestock Operations. @foodalliance has defined socially and environmentally sound beef production since 2000. Food Alliance Certified beef is raised with humane handling methods, in healthy living conditions, with no added hormones or antibiotics. Learn more at: www.foodalliance.org/livestock

[Kathy Stevens]

12:34 PM on 09/30/2012

I'm going to try to find Mr. Langert--truly! I would love to have a conversation with him.

"Sustainable beef" is an oxymoron, plain and simple. Here's why:

1. The term "sustainable" means "grown using methods that do not deplete natural resources," or "capable of being maintained without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage." Mr. Langert, McDonald's "Sustainability VP," knows the definition of the term.

2. Using the most conservative figures available from numerous studies:

a. it takes 2,500 gallons of water (some studies estimate as much as 6,000 gallons) to produce one pound of beef (at least 100 times more water than it takes to produce a pound of most fruits or vegetables)

b. largely due to beef production, we have lost 3/4 of the Earth's topsoil, and it takes 500 years to replace a single inch of it. Topsoil: the stuff we grow our food in

c. Nebraska, Kansas and Texas may soon be uninhabitable by human beings because 13 TRILLION gallons of water a year are pumped from the Ogallalla aquifer--an underground water source that doesn't refill itself. Why on earth are we doing this? Mostly for beef production.

d. it takes 16 to 20 times the amount of natural resources to feed a meat eater as it does a vegetarian.

There is no such thing as sustainable beef.

McDonald's: go vegan. That's sustainable.

[HazelPethigFan]

04:08 PM on 09/30/2012

They must love you at the local co-op meat counter.

[Tom Harbold]

10:26 PM on 10/03/2012

The figures quoted above apply to beef conventionally produced in CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations), a.k.a. feedlots. It is not possible to produce meat sustainably in feedlots, true. But fortunately there is an alternative: animals raised naturally on pasture. Furthermore, ruminants like cows, sheep, and goats can survive and thrive on terrain which is not suitable for vegetable production. There is much more that can be said on this subject, but the assertion that "there is no such thing as sustainable beef" is simply incorrect.

[george martini]

11:25 AM on 09/29/2012

Electric guitars are sustainable with a decent amp.... not beef.

[America-First]

08:41 AM on 09/29/2012

Is pink slime "sustainable?" How about Monsanto Frankenfood GMO french fries -- are they "sustainable?" Obesity-causing high-fructose corn syrup in the 36-ounce sodas, is THAT "sustainable?" How about the synthetic-estrogen of BPAs in the wrapper of the dollar-menu cheeseburger . . . does that meet Bloomberg's sustainability definition? Cancer-causing fluoride in the unfiltered tap water they use to brew coffee . . . definitely sustainable, no?

To be truly sustainable, McD's need to offer free flu vaccines and charter some military planes to chemtrail every location with sulfur-aluminum particles. It's for the EARTH!

Dr. Richard Day, 1969 speech. Google it.

[george martini]

11:21 AM on 09/29/2012

Define sustainable.

[Kevin73]

01:37 PM on 09/29/2012

What is he a doctor of?

[Ermintrude]

01:44 PM on 09/28/2012

McDonalds is a huge purchaser and market mover, so it's great to see this public statement of interest in employing popular animal husbandry methods. We should all be proud of the impact we make by shopping outside of the corp food chain and buying direct from small farmers. The increase in numbers of farmer's markets and the popularity of HomeGrownCow.com and localharvest.com etc is resonating throughout the industry. Rather than fighting it by sponsoring studies against the trend, McDonalds seems to be joining it. Good on 'em!

[libertymen]

07:53 AM on 09/28/2012

Sustainable means closed loop,without outside inputs.
have you bought any Hippie Organic beef lately?
Probably not unless you pretty well off.
Its not $ viable for the average person.
Its Whole FOODs expensive.
Guess you better find some grass fed local stuff and hope for the best.
Less likely to be full of Anti biotics if it isnt Feed lot beef.
GOOD luck.

[seumasog]

03:42 PM on 09/28/2012

I can buy "hippie organic" grass-fed beef for as low as $4/lb, depending on the cut. Since that's the cost of about 4 candy bars, which plenty of people who aren't very well off routinely buy without batting an eyelash, and a lot less per pound than organic mixed salad greens, it seems plenty viable for the average person to me.

[libertymen]

04:36 PM on 09/28/2012

That is probably hamburger.?
That is in the ball park i would say.
Its more usual to find it at a much higher price.
As you well know.
i just bought some grass fed stew meat for $3.50.
But you have to hunt for it.
We are in the country so its easier.

[Kevin73]

01:38 PM on 09/29/2012

ohio organic gress fed beef is 3 times the price of regular beef......$27 a pound for tenderloin....

[george martini]

11:22 AM on 09/29/2012

You can buy your own cow.

[libertymen]

07:47 PM on 09/29/2012

Have you tried to raise beef?.Obviously not.
Its a long expensive feed-hay intensive process.
Cattle eat a lot.
Cost to process isnt cheap.Trucking.
You really want 600 lbs of beef?
It doesnt keep forever.
Try it and get back to me.

[libertymen]

07:49 AM on 09/28/2012

Any large purchaser can force its suppliers to modify practices.
hopefully in a better way.
MCDs is a huge purchaser of Beef,potatoesETC,,

[george martini]

11:22 AM on 09/30/2012

sustainable apples and cherries for the McDonald's "pies"...

[French Toast]

04:38 AM on 09/28/2012

" McDonald's Europe buys coffee certified by the Rainforest Alliance"

A meaningless greenwashing organization.

"We want to use our size and influence to work with the industry and NGOs to come up with definitions of sustainable"

Translation: You want to use your size and influence to render the term meaningless by law.

[libertymen]

07:45 AM on 09/28/2012

Mcds has a lot of clout.
Anything to better practices is a move forward.
Largest purveyor of organic foods in the US,WAL MART.
Its the same stuff you buy in the local Natural foods store at twice the price.
If the standards are adulterated,thats another issue.
Organic has been commercialized and compromised to some extent.

[French Toast]

01:55 AM on 09/29/2012

I don't buy anything at the "natural foods store". And I don't care if you want to make a Sophist argument either. Up is down. Black is white. McD's and Walmart are pure. Yes yes, I know.

People like you are what hold humanity back. You have no real big reason to lie. No excuse. But you do because you think lying is fun. Whatever. Do us all a favor and exit the gene pool.

[HONEST1981]

04:28 AM on 09/28/2012

How bout we first start with 100% beef and chicken Mcdonalds not soybean based!

[george martini]

11:23 AM on 09/29/2012

There's nothing wrong with soybeans.

[Cuthbert]

10:57 PM on 09/29/2012

As long as you're not eating them anyhow!

[baron barracuda]

11:12 PM on 09/27/2012

McDonald's wants to do this? This is insane. Why don't we have the Kuku klutz klan dictate Black History Month policy in the schools next.

[george martini]

11:24 AM on 09/29/2012

Because their hoods would get in the way.

[Christine Casabar]

10:17 PM on 09/27/2012

Sustainable = beef that is local, raised humanely (not suffering), grass-fed only, and harvested on premises or at local facilities/butcher. Beef that don't require large amounts of antibiotics because they are breathing poop particles and standing knee deep in feces. Beef that aren't fattened up on corn and meat byproducts; cows are ruminants whose liver explodes when fed anything other than grass. Sick cattle make people sick. Surprised?

[libertymen]

07:47 AM on 09/28/2012

Sounds pretty good to me.
Cattle are meant to eat grass,not grain.
they are fed grain cause it was cheap.And I mean was.

[HazelPethigFan]

04:10 PM on 09/29/2012

corn is a grass if you care to look up the definition.

[Cuthbert]

10:59 PM on 09/29/2012

They are fed grain to fatten them up not because grain is cheap. Grass is cheap!

[Umm - not really]

10:28 AM on 09/28/2012

" . . . cows are ruminants whose liver explodes when fed anything other than grass."

You be sure and tell that to the next one you see eating leaves off a tree, or eating an apple - if you ever happen to be anywhere where you could possibly see one of these things.

Be sure and tell that to next cow you see eating her placenta immediately after giving birth, too.

You know what's funny? In all the slaughterhouses I've been in - and I might could count them on both hands - I've never seen an "exploded" liver. Wonder why that is?

[Christine Casabar]

01:52 PM on 09/29/2012

Read Omnivore's Delimma and see Food Inc. 1) A cows diet is plant based and they eat huge amounts of grass and anything green...but mostly grass. Corn is like candy/crack for them. 2) all animals eat their placenta because there is a ingredient that shrinks their uterus. 3) the liver from cows fattened up in industrialized farms/slaughterhouses makes for mushy liver. If you eat sick animals you too will be sick.  

[Christine Casabar]

01:57 PM on 09/29/2012

Hmm I forgot -- they feed cows chick poop too. It's all about finding ways to maximize profit. Note: the liver from the cows I source from local farms is firm - not mushy.

[I-US]

07:21 PM on 09/27/2012

How are the terms "sustainable" and "local" not defined? They aren't exactly neologisms from this year.

[honeybear64]

09:14 AM on 09/28/2012

You're right that those terms have been around for a while now. But I think the point is that those labels aren't regulated the way that the term "organic" is. A company can slap a label like "natural" or "sustainable" on their product, and it doesn't necessarily tell you anything, because there's no accountability for a precise definition. One glance over comments on articles such as these is pretty clear proof that there are varying beliefs regarding how we arrive at sustainability.

[I-US]

11:12 AM on 09/28/2012

Yes, I agree to a degree, but even the term "natural" is regulated. But when one allows corporations such as McDonald's to define the terms under which it will operate for commercial purposes, one will see the watering down of those terms and thus the movement itself.

[seumasog]

03:45 PM on 09/28/2012

You aren't aware that there's actually disagreement and uncertainty about what's considered "sustainable" or "local"?

[I-US]

04:28 PM on 09/28/2012

They are defined, whether somebody wants to quibble about their definitions is another thing altogether. You're doing well in your defense of McDonald's, though. Carry on. Alone.

[plantbasedpunk]

07:13 PM on 09/27/2012

Might as well be trying to serve up unicorn burgers. There's no such thing as sustainable beef. At least at at a large enough scale to satiate our current appetite for beef.

[honeybear64]

09:22 AM on 09/28/2012

It might be that there's no such thing as sustainable FOOD, if we don't change the way that it - all of it, not just the meat part - is produced. Yes, the beef patty in a McDonald's burger is problematic; but so are the lettuce, the tomato, the onion, and the bun. In terms of sustainability, the distinction between meat and everything else we eat is pretty arbitrary.

[I-US]

11:30 AM on 09/28/2012

That's not the case, honeybear64. The UN hasn't been harping about the environmental destruction of lettuce production as it has been the meat industry.

[seumasog]

01:14 PM on 09/28/2012

One of the problems I see with the fixation on meat is that, as you suggest, it lets every other aspect of food production off the hook (not to mention every other aspect of modern life - power generation being just one glaring example). The problem isn't meat per se; it's the industrialized way meat is produced in certain parts of the world. Humans have engaged in livestock production for a long, long time, and tens of millions of ruminants grazed over vast stretches of North America (and other parts of the world) without destroying the environment, but suddenly MEAT is the big villain?

When someone like you points out that the industrialized methods used to produce other food items also have devastating environmental impacts, the typical response by the anti-livestock/anti-meat crowd seems to be that the crops that cause adverse environmental impacts are just those raised for animal feed, as a way of indicting livestock indirectly, but this is absurd. Anyone who knows anything about agriculture in California, for example, where half the fruits and vegetables and nearly all the tree nuts consumed in the entire country are produced, knows that the industrialized methods used to produce food consumed directly by humans have had worse and more wide-spread impacts on the state's environment than livestock production has.

Cont'd.

[Jim DiGriz]

04:28 PM on 09/27/2012

Continuing rising global beef consumption may not make sustainably raised beef possible.