McCafé
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
McDonald's coffee brand.
McCafé can't show that the people who grow its coffee in Honduras and Kenya earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 5 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 1 of 5
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its coffee is grown in Honduras, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksUnconfirmed reports of forced labour are listed below. They don't affect the grade.
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using McCafé's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
- A product carrying the Fairtrade mark: Good
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where its coffee is grown
McCafé says which countries its coffee comes from, but doesn't name the farms or co-operatives.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Honduras | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Kenya | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ethiopia | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: coffee is on the US Department of Labor child or forced labour list for over a dozen countries, and farm-gate prices often fall below a living income. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes McDonald's Australia says its McCafé blend comes from 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in Brazil, Honduras, Kenya and Ethiopia, roasted in Melbourne, but publishes no farm list or country shares. Globally McDonald's says all its coffee has been sustainably sourced since 2019. Its 2025 Australian modern slavery statement names coffee as a high human rights risk commodity. Packaged McCafé capsules sold overseas use Rainforest Alliance arabica; no licensee making packaged McCafé for Australian supermarkets was identified.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | McDonald's Australia Limited lodged a modern slavery statement for calendar year 2025 naming coffee as a priority risk commodity. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | BHRRC reports on the 2024 Conectas/SOMO findings linking Brazilian coffee farms with slave labour to buyers including McDonald's. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Brazil is listed by the US Department of Labor for child and forced labour, and from Honduras and Kenya for child labour. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | McCafé coffee in Australia is Rainforest Alliance certified rather than Fairtrade. View |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- A January 2024 report by SOMO and Conectas said farms where Brazilian inspectors rescued workers from forced labour in 2018-2021 sold to the cooperative Cooxupé, which it said supplies McDonald's; McDonald's denied the link and said it buys Rainforest Alliance certified coffee through Mother Parkers. Source
- Conectas and the Brazilian rural workers' union ADERE-MG filed a 2018 OECD complaint naming McDonald's among six coffee buyers linked to slave labour on Brazilian farms; OECD Watch still lists the McDonald's case as under review. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- McDonald's celebrates 30 years of McCafé (Franchise Executives) · search the archive · 1,026 McCafés in Australia; blend from 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in Brazil, Honduras, Kenya, Ethiopia; roasted in Melbourne
- McDonald's, others deny reports of coffee-linked forced labor (2024) · search the archive · SOMO/Conectas Cooxupé report and McDonald's denial; buys RA coffee via Mother Parkers
- Conectas Human Rights & ADERE-MG v. McDonald's (OECD Watch) · search the archive · 2018 OECD complaint naming McDonald's over Brazilian coffee forced labour; still listed as under review
- McCafé coffee capsules launch in Canada (Packaging Gateway, 2024) · search the archive · Packaged McCafé capsules use Rainforest Alliance certified arabica
Published by McCafé or its owner
- McDonald's Australia Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · Coffee a priority commodity; 2018 HRIA found coffee among highest human rights risks
- How McDonald's is reducing deforestation with sustainable coffee · search the archive · 100% sustainably sourced coffee reached 2019; McCafé Sustainability Improvement Platform
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is McCafé ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/mccafe, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent McCafé.