Indiana’s Family of Farmers, The Indiana Department of Agriculture, representatives from various commodity groups, state officials and other dignitaries were on hand Thursday to celebrate National Ag Day at the McDonald’s restaurant located at 7000 N. Graham Road in Indianapolis.
The event was hosted by local McDonald’s Owner/Operators Mya Smith and Randy Shields and included the unveiling of a new trayliner that lists the Indiana products that are purchased by the McDonald’s system. That trayliner will be used in most McDonald’s restaurants throughout the state.
The McDonald’s system purchased $33 million worth of Indiana products in 2017 including more than 162 million pounds of corn, 45,000 dozen eggs, 3.9 million pounds of pork and 4.9 million gallons of milk. McDonald’s also employs more than 21,000 people at its 354 restaurants across the state of Indiana.
“National Ag Day is a perfect time to show off this trayliner which gives everyone a great look at how every day Indiana farmers help us bring high-quality food to our customers,” said Shields.
Bruce Kettler, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, thanked McDonald’s for its ongoing support of farmers.
“Indiana has more than 56,000 farming operations that, together, help make up a $31 billion industry,” Kettler said. “I commend McDonald’s efforts to support our farmers, as well as the significant investment they’re making in the lives of Hoosiers and communities across the state.”
“Indiana farmers are proud to produce almost a billion dozen eggs every year,” said Dan Krouse, President of the Indiana State Poultry Association. “Those nutritional little powerhouses go into breakfasts all over the world, and many are cracked fresh onto griddles at McDonald’s every morning. We’re thankful for the appreciation today, and hope everyone keeps enjoying our eggs.”
“As we continue on a journey to build a better McDonald’s, we continue to ensure that we are providing high-quality, great tasting ingredients that are sourced responsibly,” said Shields. “It’s all about listening to our customers and working with our wonderful suppliers, like here in Indiana, so we may continue to ensure our customers feel good about our food.”