Raising the Bar in Protein Sourcing

We know that our customers are increasingly invested in where their food comes from, as well as topics like sustainable sourcing and ethically sourced food, and enhanced traceability helps them better understand what goes into their Wendy’s meal. We are a company founded on offering fresh beef and today that commitment is alive and well.  Our focus remains steadfast: understand – and improve – each step of the journey for protein (like beef, pork and chicken) from the farm to our restaurants. Doing so helps ensure a safe and satisfying meal for our customers. 

It is Wendy’s vision to provide a level of protein supply chain traceability that doesn’t currently exist at scale.  To be honest, this is harder than it sounds, but we’re not letting the difficulty of this goal deter us. After all, these efforts are rooted in the journey we began nearly 50 years ago – to be a leader in the quick service restaurant industry, in both flavor and quality.

The difficulty is due to the complicated nature of animal protein supply chains.  Beef, for example, has the most complicated supply chain, due in part to the amount of time it takes to raise cattle for beef and the many farms and people involved as a result.  Conversely, the chicken supply chain is more straightforward.  (In fact, Wendy’s has already achieved total traceability to the farm for chicken.)

With the support of an incredible group of progressive protein producers, we’ve been meticulously mapping each supply chain aspect from farm to restaurant.  Together, we are identifying opportunities for improvement and working to consistently enhance the process – like advancing specific animal care and environmental sustainability practices. These ongoing improvements benefit animals raised for protein, our producer partners, Wendy’s business – and, ultimately, our customers’ dining experience.

We want you to join us on this journey. Our readers will soon “come behind the counter” and learn about our traceability work.  An upcoming blog series will offer a closer look at Wendy’s supply chain and introduce our progressive protein partners who are helping us be better every day.  Come back to the Square Deal Blog later this month for more.