Bill Gates Does Own A Farm That Produces Potatoes For McDonald's French Fries
Bill Gates has an unexpected connection with McDonald's french fries.
Last week, a meme about the billionaire owning land that grows potatoes used to make the fast-food chain's world-famous fries resurfaced on X, formerly Twitter, sparking renewed interest in their connection.
"It's the perfect time to remind everyone that Bill Gates owns the land in Washington state used to grow the potatoes for McDonald's fries," X user Dom Lucre posted.
Snopes confirmed that the meme is "factual" as Gates does own a farm that supplies french fry potatoes for McDonald's.
It’s the perfect time to remind everyone that Bill Gates owns the land in Washington state used to grow the potatoes for McDonald’s fries. pic.twitter.com/xixYPMeeDL
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) March 21, 2024
McDonald's lists Gates' 100 Circle Farms as one of its potato suppliers on its website.
The Microsoft co-founder acquired the farm when he purchased farmland in Washington, near the Oregon border, through holding companies in 2018, according to Snopes.
But while Gates' farm does produce potatoes used to make McDonald's french fries, it is not the fast-food chain's sole potato supplier.
Full Fact previously debunked a meme making this claim that circulated on Facebook.
"In case you didn't know[,] every single McDonald's french fry comes exclusively from Bill Gates and [his] genetically modified potato farm. EVERY SINGLE ONE. Don't worry[,] he loves you," read the meme, which included an image showing Gates overlaid on a photo of McDonald's fries.
McDonald's said in 2014 that it "does not source GMO potatoes, nor do we have current plans to change our sourcing practices," the Idaho Statesman reported.
According to Full Fact, 100 Circle Farms does not produce genetically modified potatoes.
Lamb Weston, which processes the potatoes grown by 100 Circle Farms, claimed that the farm can produce up to 2,400 tons of potatoes a day, as stated on McDonald's website.
"The majority of these will go into McDonald's Fries," Lamb Weston director of farm and dairy operations Troy Grimes was quoted as saying on the website.
As of June 2021, Gates, along with his now ex-wife Melinda, owned more than 269,000 acres of farmland across 18 states through their investment group, Cascade Investments, NBC News reported.
In addition to the Washington farmland, Gates owns 70,000 acres of land in north Louisiana and 20,000 acres in Nebraska.
The farmlands in these states are used to grow soybeans, corn, cotton and rice.
The billionaire's land holdings also include land in Florida used to grow carrots, according to the outlet.
Gates previously addressed his company's farmland investments during a Reddit Q&A.
"My investment group chose to do this. It is not connected to climate," he said.
Gates added, "The agriculture sector is important. With more productive seeds we can avoid deforestation and help Africa deal with the climate difficulty they already face. It is unclear how cheap biofuels can be, but if they are cheap, it can solve the aviation and truck emissions."
