There was a surprise for the Lakes Free Range Egg Company (The Lakes) when we attended the annual McDonald’s Supplier Conference in London. As well as an opportunity to share ideas and news, the conference was also a platform to recognise and reward outstanding achievements. ‘The Lakes’ was praised for their contribution as a member of the McDonald’s ‘Foodsteps’ team which won the ‘Outstanding Team Contribution’ Award.
Follow our Foodsteps is McDonald’s UK nationwide campaign that champions farming and food production. It tells their UK food story through the eyes of the people who grow, produce and prepare food for the UK menu, via pioneering interactive virtual reality and360 degree film experience. Visitors are transported behind the scenes to some of McDonald’s UK’s flagship farms, factories and restaurants – including The Lakes Free Range Egg Company who supplies free range eggs for their breakfasts.
The Lakes and their hens played a key role in the new food chain experience, with a film crew spending a day filming hens in their natural environment. It meant visitors donning the 360 headsets could see themselves walking amongst the hens, wandering outdoors on their ranges and into the pack houses with their eggs.
When the Follow our Foodsteps roadshow visited the Royal Highland Show, ‘The Lakes’ owners David and Helen Brass spent time on the stand talking to the public. Other members of The Lakes team visited numerous different shows, watching visitors enjoy the interactive experience and explaining how the McDonald’s food chain works.
At the award ceremony in London, the Foodsteps team was singled out for their outstanding contribution. The team was praised by McDonald’s UK who said “This team has taken us to places we’ve never been before and helped take our customers on a journey they’ll never forget. From the planning and building stage, through to execution and delivery, they’ve gone the extra mile. They have embraced the challenge by getting to grips with the latest technology and spent days dispelling myths around the brand. Through sun and rain, they have taken thousands of people on farm tours via 360 headsets; and powered the whole initiative through their unending enthusiasm.”
Commenting on the team win David Brass, CEO at ‘The Lakes’ said: “It was quite a surprise to be on stage with the team to receive the Outstanding Team Contribution Award. It’s been fantastic to be involved in a project like ‘Foodsteps’ – it’s innovative in its approach, ground-breaking in what it set out to achieve and has the future of British agriculture at its core. Foodsteps worked because everyone believed in what we were doing and it was a team effort right across their supply chain – we’re proud to be part of that journey.”
Award photo: Credited to Arif Gardner at www.agstudios.co.uk“