What Kind Of Tomatoes Does McDonald's Use? Plant And Grow Their Seeds To Find Out

McDonald's has long touted its beef as high-quality and USDA certified. The company website has a profile of Lopez Foods, which supplies the chain with beef. It also profiles potato farms, chicken and fish suppliers, and other producers. Tomatoes are not mentioned. However, in the U.S., McDonald's sources them from Florida, where 90% of winter tomatoes are grown. Most other major fast food chains buy them here, as well. The company uses Roma tomatoes for its Deluxe sandwiches, though they can be added to anything if you ask.

Most sandwiches McDonald's serves with tomatoes have three slices, making it hard to judge their size. To see what they look like and how they taste fresh, you could always ask at a store. If you live near Florida you could even take a trip to a tomato farm. Or you could do what YouTuber James Prigioni did: Take some seeds from a McDonald's Deluxe Quarter Pounder tomato slice and plant them in your garden.

Prigioni planted seeds from one tomato slice and also planted another slice, seeds included, from a different burger. All of the seeds sprouted, but he only kept one seedling from each for his experiment. He used a pre-made soil mix and added a little fertilizer to both tomato plants. One grew in the soil of his garden and another he grew in a pot. He admits in his video that the potted plant didn't get watered enough and suffered as a result. But the results were still impressive.

Both tomato plants that Prigioni grew produced a remarkable amount of fruit. It took 94 days for the tomatoes to plump up considerably. By 108 days, the plant growing in the yard was ready for a first harvest and had produced several dozen tomatoes in total. According to Prigioni, it was the most he'd ever harvested from a single tomato plant. Definitely a cheaper option than buying store tomatoes.

Roma tomatoes are often used in sauces, and are thicker and less juicy than other varieties. It's not clear which type of Roma tomato McDonald's uses, but there are multiple varieties. Prigioni guessed it was a hybrid and noted the tomatoes were sweet and not very acidic. Romas are a determinate tomato, which means all the fruit typically ripens at the same time. This is ideal for a company like McDonald's, because it is easier to manage supplies when all the tomatoes on a plant are harvested at once.

You can replicate this experiment easily enough on your own. Get any Deluxe burger with tomatoes from McDonald's and salvage a tomato slice. You can either remove the seeds or just plant the whole tomato slice. Start them indoors in a small pot until you have a healthy seedling. Keep them warm so they sprout faster, and in about three weeks they should be ready to go outside. Make sure to use quality soil and a bit of fertilizer. We have some more tips for growing tomatoes here. Within three to four months, your McDonald's tomato harvest should be ready.