McDonald’s has rushed to reassure consumers after its major Italian meat supplier revealed that it killed a cow suspected of having BSE.
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The Italian health ministry reported the case at meat processor last Saturday (13 January), and by Monday morning, outlets of the fastfood behemoth were being told to reassure consumers that the patties in burger products are completely safe. A spokeswoman said that beef used by McDonald’s did not come from the particular plant where the cow was discovered, the second largest slaughterhouse in Europe.
Nevertheless, many restaurants were scarce of customers.
McDonalds have always acted to remain one step ahead of the BSE crisis. In 1996, it revealed British beef was off the menu as fears of mad cow disease swept the UK, and marketing campaigns stressing safety and control have been stepped up across Europe in recent months as consumer panic saw beef sales plummet.
A direct link to the cattle disease spells a potential crisis for the US chain, however. If consumers make the association between the McDonald’s icon and BSE its reputation could be damaged.
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By GlobalDataA report produced in April last year by the European Commission criticised the Italian governments veterinary surveillance at the Cremonini plant for failing to carry out basic BSE checks. The abattoir gates are believed by many to be the best place to screen BSE infected cattle, because the journey to the slaughterhouse will exacerbate the symptoms of the disease, stumbling and weakness. However, the Italian health ministry admitted that checks were inadequate and revealed that more vets would be assigned to the farm.
