McDonald’s announces the start of the first stage of the targeted grants program aimed at supporting Russian farmers. More than 20 farms from 16 regions of Russia, cooperating with the Belaya Dacha group of companies, took part in it. This was reported to “Lente.ru” in the press service of the company.
McDonald’s makes one of the most stringent requirements on the Russian market for suppliers of products, in particular, it is mandatory to have international quality and safety certification according to the Global G.A.P. standard. The winners of the program in 2021 will receive a targeted grant for passing this certification – this will allow them to increase their competitiveness in the international market and become suppliers of McDonald’s. At the moment, McDonald’s receives products from 160 Russian suppliers. In turn, to supply products to McDonald’s, they use raw materials from more than 400 farms operating in such agricultural sectors as raising cattle, growing lettuce, cucumbers, potatoes, and dairy farms.
In connection with the active development of the network of McDonald’s enterprises in Russia, the company is interested in expanding the geography of supplies and decided, first of all, to support those agricultural producers who are taking the first steps in the production of lettuce. Five farms from Astrakhan to Novosibirsk were selected to participate in the program, which passed a rigorous selection according to the following criteria: manufacturability and automation of production processes, food safety and quality of products, resource-saving technologies and, most importantly, willingness to develop and introduce new technologies. Obtaining Global G.A.P. certification will allow Russian farms not only to gain recognition for the high quality and safety of their products, but also to open new sales markets for themselves.