The 2 Main Beef Suppliers Behind McDonald's Burgers

The sheer ubiquity of McDonald's is pretty impressive. With over 44,000 locations across 100 countries, it's likely that you've had at least a McDonald's burger or two in your lifetime. And maybe more than one or two, since the Golden Arches serves 26 million Americans a day. But no matter how often you're chowing down on a Quarter Pounder or Big Mac, have you ever wondered where Mickey D's gets the gargantuan amount of beef it requires? McDonald's owns many of the chicken farms it uses for its menu items, and when it comes to beef, the fast-food giant similarly prefers to have a close relationship with its vendors. That's certainly the case with two of McDonald's main suppliers of burger meat, Keystone Foods and Lopez Dorada Foods.

While McDonald's doesn't maintain an exhaustive list of every beef vendor it's ever worked with, the Golden Arches is very upfront about Keystone Foods and Lopez Dorada Foods being two of its main suppliers. So who exactly are these major players in the meat game that help ensure McDonald's burgers are really, truly made with 100% beef? Let's break them down.

Founded in Philadelphia in 1956, Keystone is a huge provider of animal protein, and it gives McDonald's about 150 million pounds of beef (not to mention millions of pounds of chicken and fish) a year. Keystone and McDonald's have been connected for decades. In the 1960's, Keystone founder Herb Lotman invented a new way to keep beef patties frozen, which he introduced to McDonald's, and it still uses that process to this day. The collaboration didn't end there: Lotman also partnered with McDonald's to create one of the chain's signature products — the Chicken McNugget. In 2018, Keystone was acquired by one of the world's largest food companies, Tyson Foods, which is also likely providing you with the frozen chicken nuggets you have at home.

Oklahoma-based Lopez Dorada (formerly Lopez Foods) is the largest Hispanic-owned protein-processing company in the U.S. and, like Keystone, has partnered with McDonald's for decades. In 1968, it began supplying Mickey D's with burger patties, and ever since, it has been an integral part of the fast food chain's production line. Lopez Dorada also provides protein such as beef, pork, and chicken to other major brands like Starbucks.