McDonald's launches 'local produce' burger to help Spanish farmers

FAST food company McDonald's has launched a burger made entirely with Spanish produce from local farmers in a bid to help them get through the economic turndown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 'Big Good', as the burger is named, will use goods supplied by 2,000 producers from all over the country – Andalucía, Murcia, Catalunya, Extremadura, Madrid, Navarra, Galicia, Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha.

According to the chain, the ingredients chose were those whose producers had most seen a drop in demand in the first few months of the health crisis.

These have not been detailed in full, but as well as wheat for bread and beef for the burger, appear to include cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and eggs.

Managing director of McDonald's España, Luis Quintiliano, says the move is 'an action in accordance with' the food chain's 'purpose as a company'.

“It's to benefit the Spanish primary sector at a very delicate moment,” Quintiliano says, “and, beyond this, it's our duty to society as a company.

“I believe the current climate is demanding companies to put plans like 'Big Good' in action – to help reactivate the micro-economy in our country.”

Quintiliano urges other firms in Spain to 'join the movement to support the primary sector and small businesses as far as they are able to do so'.

The above picture, by McDonald's, shows the new 'Big Good' burger.

It comes at the same time as the chain, worldwide, launches its new 'McPlant' burger, a vegetarian version which is expected to expand to cover a full range of non-meat substitutes for chicken and the famous 'breakfast burgers' with bacon and sausage.

The 'McPlant' will include all the 'classic ingredients', but not meat or fish, in a move to capture the growing vegetarian market and to lean towards 'quality plant-based ingredients obtained responsibly to protect the planet and fight climate change'.

It is not yet known whether any of the McPlant range will be suitable for vegans.