McDonald's Corp. (NYSE:MCD) is bringing to the U.S. a program it launched in Britain, which I blogged about recently, enlisting a crew of American moms as Moms Quality Correspondents to vet the quality of its food. Program Manager Tara Hayes told me that the company used a third party to assemble a list of 4,000 candidates for the volunteer positions, from which they have chosen six moms.

These women will be given unfettered access to McDonald's food supply chain and operations. Next month, for example, they will visit a beef supplier, and spend some time working behind the counter. They will write about their experiences and observations on a web site created for the program, mcdonaldsmoms.com.

McDonald's started a similar program some time ago in Britain, primarily to address charges of animal cruelty. There, it has gathered teams of volunteer "Quality Scouts" that visit and investigate the company suppliers. It's also created a special internet site, "Make Up Your Own Mind," to inform and answer the questions of concerned customers. For example, a recent question fielded was "Are there chicken eyeballs in Chicken McNuggets?" Thankfully, for my peace of mind, the answer is no.

Last year, the company started an international "Global Moms Panel" to advise it on how to make its restaurants as family-friendly as possible.