Fonterra upgrades Eltham cheese production for global growth
Fonterra's Eltham site in Taranaki is stepping up its global impact with an upgrade to its processed cheese production lines, boosting capacity to meet growing international demand.
The company recently released its annual New Zealand shopping list, showing a record amount spent on ingredients for their menu items.
In 2022, $213 million was spent on local ingredients for New Zealand restaurants. Meanwhile, another $384 million of NZ produce was exported to other McDonald's markets. That took the total spend with NZ farmers and growers to an all-time high of $598 million - $52 million more than in 2021.
Here are some highlights:
- 6.9 million litres of fresh milk was sourced from NZ dairy farmers.
- 1.9 million kilograms of NZ cheese and other dairy products was used locally, along with 11.6 million kilograms of cheese exported.
- Over 900,000kg of NZ lettuces were used by local restaurants.
- Nearly 12 million kilograms of NZ potatoes were used to make fries.
McDonald's says it sources produce from farmers and growers across NZ. New Zealand is also a strategically important supplier to international outlets. NZ produce is exported to McDonald's markets including Australia, the Pacific Islands, Asia, and the United States.
"It's great to be able to supply a local menu where around 90% of the ingredients are sourced from across NZ, and to share this quality produce with McDonald's markets around the world," says managing director NZ and Pacific Islands, Kylie Freeland.
