Yes, McDonald's uses Tyson Foods as one of its major chicken suppliers for Chicken McNuggets and other poultry products. While Tyson is a primary supplier, McDonald's also uses other suppliers like Keystone Foods and, in the UK, various international sources.
Tyson created a custom chicken breed for McNuggets
With a new idea in place, McDonald's enlisted Tyson Foods to supply chicken for the McDonald's chicken nuggets, and Tyson more than obliged; they actually made a custom breed of larger-breasted chicken known as the “Mr. McDonald.”
It supplies Yum! Brands chains that use chicken, including KFC and Taco Bell, as well as McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Walmart, Kroger, IGA, Beef O'Brady's, small restaurant businesses, and prisons.
Today, Keystone's US operations are proud to produce and deliver the highest quality beef, chicken and fish products to McDonald's, including more than 150 million pounds of beef, 300 million pounds of chicken and 15 million pounds of fish each year.
McDonald's Secret Ingredients You Never Knew About
Where does McDonald's UK get chicken from?
McDonald's U.K. sources chicken from many countries including the U.K., Holland, France, Thailand and Brazil. The chickens from these countries are reared and audited to farm assurance standards.
Tyson supplies meat served in many schools and fast-food chains—including every McDonald's chicken nugget—and owns a slew of popular brands including Ball Park, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, and Sara Lee.
Patties are often made from 100% beef, including cuts like chuck, round, and sirloin. Their US based chains use Lopez Farms for their beef. McDonald is very transparent about where they source their ingredients.
For fast food with real chicken, look to places like Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, Raising Cane's, Zaxby's, and KFC, which emphasize 100% chicken breast meat, often fresh, with no fillers, artificial preservatives, or added hormones in the US. Other options include Dairy Queen (white meat tenderloin) and Shake Shack, but always check ingredient lists as some chains, even those using real chicken, might add extra proteins or starches to breading.
As one of the top chicken and meat suppliers in the U.S., Tyson provides products not only to KFC but also to other fast food chains, including Taco Bell and McDonald's. Tyson also functions as the parent company of other well-known brands, such as Jimmy Dean, Ball Park, and Sara Lee.
(NYSE: TSN), has invested in food tech startup Memphis Meats, a leader in cultured meat produced directly from animal cells. The investment is an example of Tyson Foods' commitment to explore innovative, new ways of meeting growing global demand for protein.
Tyson and grown under four generations of family leadership, the company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells®, ibp®, and State Fair®.
McDonald's sues Tyson, JBS and other beef producers for allegedly fixing prices. The fast food giant, which is the world's largest buyer of beef, alleges major meat companies conducted illegal acts to drive down supplies.
Tyson Frozen Chicken Nuggets are made with white meat chicken and have a deliciously crispy breading for the perfect amount of crunch. With 11 grams of protein per serving and made with 100% all-natural* chicken, these fully cooked chicken nuggets are frozen to easily heat and enjoy.
Lopez Foods, a pioneer of the meatpacking industry with decades of experience behind it, has supplied McDonald's with beef patties since the late 1960s. Today, you'll find that Lopez Foods supplies meat not only to McDonald's, but also to Walmart, Starbucks, and Burger King, as well.
At OSI Food Solutions UK Ltd we process raw materials with the utmost care and in compliance with strict hygiene standards. OSI Food Solutions UK was formed in 1978 to be the exclusive supplier of red meat products to McDonald's Restaurants in the UK.
The company's goal is to stop using High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sucralose, BHA/BHT and Titanium Dioxide in the production of branded products in the U.S. by the end of 2025. Those brands include Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Wright®, State Fair®, Aidells®, ibp® and others.
More than 3,700 independent farmers raise chickens for us. We supply the birds, feed and technical advice, while the farmers care for the chickens by providing the farm, housing and labor. We don't own or operate any feedlots, so we buy cattle from nearly 4,000 independent feeders and ranchers.
⸻ 🍟 Fast Food Chains Using Nuggets from 6–8 Week Old Chickens They don't kill the chickens themselves, but they source nuggets made from those baby chickens: 1. McDonald's (supplied by Tyson, Keystone Foods) 2. Wendy's 3. Chick-fil-A 4.
As it turns out, the very same Tyson Foods that manufactures our favorite dinosaur nuggets also manufactures chicken products for chains like Taco Bell, KFC, McDonald's, Burger King, Popeyes, and Chick-fil-A.
Simply delicious. The chicken in our McNuggets® is 100% chicken breast – chopped into small pieces in order to make it easier to shape and eat. In our restaurants, each Chicken McNugget® is cooked by our teams until perfectly crisp and then served nice and hot. Just the way a Chicken McNugget® should be eaten.
