Starting Wednesday, January 10, all 1,200 McDonald’s restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland will sell exclusively Kenco coffee, a Kraft Foods high-quality Arabica coffee containing 100 percent Rainforest Alliance Certified beans. Only farms that meet specific, independent and verifiable standards balancing all aspects of production, including protecting the environment, the rights and welfare of workers and the interest of coffee-growing communities are awarded Rainforest Alliance certification.
McDonald’s says it’s the first major retailer in the United Kingdom to source 100 percent of its coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, and as it implements this decision this week, it becomes with one stroke the leading UK retailer of Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee. Prices will be locally competitive ranging from $1.43 for a regular coffee to $2.08 for a large cappuccino or latte.
At the same time, McDonald’s also signaled its intention to extend this commitment to serving certified sustainable coffee in its restaurants throughout Europe during 2007.