McDonald’s Philippines is widening its pool of local chicken suppliers as its restaurant network heads toward 900 stores, giving the domestic poultry industry another potentially sizeable customer.
The fast-food giant currently works with about four to five major Philippine chicken suppliers and is accrediting additional regional production facilities as it expands beyond Metro Manila.
Quality Assurance Director Alvin Marcelo said suppliers must meet McDonald’s global quality and food safety requirements, with accreditation covering both processors and growers.
“We partner with the right suppliers because it’s very important, and they are accredited suppliers of McDonald’s based on McDonald’s global standards,” Marcelo said.
The regional facilities are intended to bring production closer to restaurants in their respective markets, reducing the need to rely heavily on centralized facilities as McDonald’s expands its footprint.
The company expects to end 2026 with about 900 restaurants nationwide, up from 862 currently. More stores mean more chicken on the menu and, consequently, more demand for locally produced poultry.
McDonald’s also sources the rice served with Chicken McDo locally.
Marcelo said supplier requirements include animal health and welfare standards, with third-party audits benchmarked against practices used in major McDonald’s markets, including the United States and Europe.
The company did not disclose procurement or sales volumes, but Marketing and Menu Director Celina Lagandaon said McDonald’s sells “millions and millions” of chicken pieces every year.
Chicken has become an increasingly important part of that equation. Lagandaon said the larger Chicken McDo introduced in 2023 delivered incremental and “exponential” sales growth.
The product was developed and tested for at least a year, with thousands of Filipino consumers taking part in nationwide trials that focused on size, crispiness, juiciness, and flavor.
As McDonald’s adds restaurants across the country, its appetite for chicken is growing with them, potentially giving local growers and processors a larger slice of the fast-food supply chain.
