Niman Ranch, Other Free Range Meat Suppliers Get McDonald’s Contract

As an unabashed meat-eater, I have always loved Niman ranch products and am willing to pay a little extra to have them. It’s not just that they taste a lot better, there is extra satisfaction in knowing that my meat came from free range livestock, raised naturally without a pharmacopia of steroids and god-knows what.
It seems I’m not the only one. Niman, and other free-range meat producers are now selling a majority of some meats to McDonald’s Chipolte Grill brand, as well as major specialty retailers like Whole Foods. (See Chicago Tribune Article – requires registration). With major contracts like these, it’s no wonder that organic and otherwise natural meat will continue to grow in popularity despite the slight added costs to consumers. But will quality and accountability suffer?