I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for McDonald’s. I attended an event to facilitate my review and received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.
Have you ever wondered where the food on your table comes from? I know I have. Yes, we all buy our food at the grocery store, but where do they get it from? And what about when we eat out at restaurants, like McDonald’s, where do they get their food from? I recently had a chance to find out where some of McDonald’s food comes from, and I must admit-it was fascinating! 
We started out with breakfast at McDonald’s… have you tried their Egg White Delight McMuffin yet? So tasty! Once we were all fed, we loaded up on a bus for the trip out to Taylor Farms, in beautiful Salinas County, CA. Did you know 80% of all produce consumed in the U.S. originates from Salinas County, CA?! 
Once at the farm, we were all given gloves and hairnets to put on. We had to remove all our jewelry too, it’s part of the safety precautions Taylor Farms has in place to keep any & all foreign objects out of their food. Pretty smart! We looked pretty goofy, but I appreciate Taylor Farms being so stringent with their rules. 
We got to see, firsthand, where McDonald’s gets their Romaine Lettuce from for most of the Northwest U.S. I had never been out in the fields before, and was extremely excited to see the whole process. You have no idea what goes into getting lettuce onto your plate! Just walking in the field was difficult enough… those rows are mighty narrow, I almost fell several times! We got to see the workers harvesting the Romaine Lettuce. Some were using a knife to cut the lettuce off, while others were lucky enough to be in the Automated Romaine Harvester, (pictured below).
The automated harvester saves the workers from the back-breaking job of bending over all day long to cut the lettuce. With the harvester, they just have to package the lettuce up so it can be shipped to the processing plant. (Lettuce that is picked at Taylor Farms, is on your plate at McDonald’s within 6 days! Wow!) 
After seeing where the lettuce grows & how it’s harvested, we boarded the bus again, next stop, the Taylor Farms Processing Plant! This part of the trip BLEW MY MIND! Seeing the size of the operation, how much work goes into cleaning , processing, bagging and shipping out the lettuce, is just unbelievable. We never think about all the behind-the-scenes labor that takes place on a daily basis. Truly remarkable. I will never look at a plate of salad the same way ever again. 
This processing plant is a well-oiled machine… literally! I never would’ve thought so much work went into getting salad on my plate. I left with a new appreciation for my food. I also left with a sense of who McDonald’s really is. No matter what you think of McDonalds, they are trying very hard to provide us (the consumer) with good food & healthier meal options. Do they have areas they could improve on? Of course! Do I feed my kids fast food every day? No, I don’t. What impresses me about McDonald’s is that they are ready, willing & able to listen to their consumers. If there’s something you have a question about, contact them! When we, the consumer, start demanding better menu options, the restaurants will have to comply. It’s as simple as that! If you’d like to read more about their food suppliers, click here. It was now time for a little Q & A with a few McDonald’s suppliers.
They answered our questions and encouraged us to continue asking them tough questions and to let them know what we, as consumers, want from them. I, for one, plan to take them up on that offer!
After a long day out in the field and at the processing plant; we were treated to a delicious lunch, that was made using food from McDonald’s suppliers. 
Our chefs, (the dynamic duo) Chefs Saka-Bozzo, were not only talented in the kitchen, but such sweethearts! 
This trip was very educational, I got to experience things I never imagined I would. I got to interact with nutritionists, farmers, suppliers, top chefs, franchise owners, and everyone in between. I got down & dirty in the fields and left with a new appreciation for farm workers everywhere, did you know their work day begins at 2am? My hat’s off to everyone that helps get our food from field to table.
In closing, I want to encourage ALL my readers to be vocal when it comes to what you want from McDonald’s and other restaurants. They WANT to hear from us- they WANT to make us happy. We, are ultimately in charge of what they do. Let’s get to work!
