FOOD, DRINK & AGRICULTURE
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or Beth Hart, her roots in Northern Ireland are as local as many of the ingredients used by the restaurant chain which she works for.
McDonald’s has grown its presence, locations, staff numbers and ever-increasing focus on local suppliers, with the use of top-end ingredients right across Northern Ireland, over the last 29 years. It’s a company which is also now undergoing a strong resurgence in demand following the recent reopening of restaurants. And many here may not know quite how ‘local’ many of the key ingredients that go into flagship products, are. The beef is from UK and Irish farmers, the cheese from Kerry Group and packaging for products sold across the globe comes from Huhtamaki – which has operations in Belfast, Antrim and Lurgan. There is also an ever-increasing focus on sustainability, along with green packaging to ensure everything that can be re-used or recycled. “Often it comes as a pleasant surprise to our customers who often don’t realise just how many of our ingredients are local, especially as we are such a large brand,” Beth says. “For example, for 21 years our eggs have been free range, all our beef is British and Irish, our milk is organic, the cheese slices in your Big Mac are from Kerry Group in Coleraine.
Beth is the first ever executive member for supply chain, a role that is wide ranging encompassing, buying and sourcing both food and packaging, safety standards as well as relationships with farmers, growers and producers – with an eye on sustainability and ethical sourcing. A core focus of Beth’s leadership over the last few months has been ensuring the well-being of McDonald’s customers and staff, making the right decision on closing and gradually reopening the company’s restaurant estate across Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. “We made the decision to close ahead of Government guidance,” Beth says. “That was taken to protect the tens of thousands of employees based across the UK and Ireland. “Throughout the Covid period we recognised the importance of regular communication with our employees, customers and politicians. This has been welcomed and reinforces our commitment to protect our crew, customers and suppliers“ And part of the ability of McDonald’s to get back up off the ground and return to serving millions of customers each day, remains the resilience, expertise and experience of its supply chain partners. “Once someone is in our supply chain, if they do a good job, build good relationships then we will work with them for a long time,” says Beth.” We need to get better and better, and make sure everyone’s business is thriving.”
“This is real food, with real farmers and producers – produced to a very high standard. That’s why we aim for our customer experience to always be positive and the same. It’s the Big Mac you love, wherever you go.”
“Northern Ireland punches well above its weight,” Beth says. “Companies like Kerry Group and Huhtamaki don’t just have contracts here – but across the global business. It’s fantastic that manufacturers can start supplying the UK but then grow to supply McDonald’s right across the globe.”
Lurgan born, Beth is now vice-president of supply chain and brand trust for McDonald’s in the UK and Ireland and has a long 25-year career working across all strands of the food sector.
Beth says the company’s business here gives back around £26m a year to farmers in Northern Ireland, and good business remains about also ensuring good communities in which McDonald’s operates in.
OCTOBER 2020
“McDonald’s has a famous model – the three-legged stool,” she says. “One leg is the McDonald’s business, one is the franchisee and the other is the supplier. If we keep all of that balanced it’s a real true secret of competitive advantage. “We consider the full life of all our products from start to finish – from the food to the packaging. We look at circular solutions. That includes converting oil into bio diesel which is then used to fuel the lorries which deliver the food to our restaurants.” McDonald’s has grown its footprint to 31 restaurants across Northern Ireland and employs more than 3,000 staff. It’s also counted on franchisees who have worked with the company here for decades. “We view ourselves as a crucial employer in lots of areas,” Beth says. “We invest in people and employ a lot of young staff – it’s a great opportunity for them to build key skills and discipline. “In terms of health, we have over recent years made significant moves, reducing salt and sugar and providing our customers with a more varied menu. “ “We ensure that more than 50% of the menu is non high in fat, sugar or salt. Our new kiosks also flag the healthier options, so a customer can elect to choose that, or not. “After Covid-19 we’ve had a more limited menu, but it’s important we offer a broad choice which includes healthier options.” And Beth says the business is in a strong position following the safe, phased reopening of its stores right across the UK and Ireland. “We started slow, with the drive-thru, then delivery,” she says. “It was only at phase five when we opened the restaurants for dine-in that we realised just how much people had missed us. “And when we came back, our suppliers came back, too. That’s testament to the 29 years we have been trading in Northern Ireland.” ■
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