As of 2016, about 56% of McDonald's total global coffee bean purchases were sustainably sourced using certifications such as Rainforest Alliance Certified™, Fair Trade USA or UTZ. Over half of our certified coffee purchases are from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms, including 100% of the beans used for our espresso in the U.S. and Canada. This is moving us toward our goal of 100% verified sustainable coffee, both hot and iced, by 2020.
Here in the U.S., in partnership with our franchisees along with McDonald's Canada, we invested $6.7 million in a farmer technical assistance program in Central America. Since the completion of the four-and-a-half year program, we helped nearly 15,000 coffee farmers produce more sustainably.
Farmers in the program saw amazing results. Participating farmers reported harvesting 45% yield increase compared to their neighbors.
