I had a friend, this is several years back, he was kind of like a salesman/account manager for Simplot...he claimed McD's was their toughest contract (potato products only, he didn't do beef contracts). At that time the most stringent quality standards in the business was what Mc D's specified.
I'd venture to guess they're more stringent now. I'm an engineer for one of their suppliers. Last year, or the year before? they rolled out the no preservatives in their burgers (other than pickles). Getting approved for that was fun. Pre-audit audits from them to make sure everything is done within their specs, from production to sanitation to storage. Week long audits looking at every record and hours upon hours on the floor observing how their product is made.
