My family almost bought into the McDonald’s From Here campaign.

The television, billboard, online and print advertisements that suggest potatoes in Richland are served in Renton-area Mickey D’s, or, and this was the catch for the Sextons, milk from Buckley is served in the Golden Arches in Bellingham.

Really?

Maybe it is, but we wondered why they didn’t pick Enumclaw and Everett for their comparison? It seems to us – and no offense to our Buckley or Sumner dairy farm friends – the area across the bridge this way has a few more dairies still operating. Plus, when I’m driving in my car I hear Paul Gwerder’s voice coming through the speakers letting me know he’s an Enumclaw Darigold farmer.

According to McDonald’s Sourcing Facts, the fast food giant purchased more than 497,000 gallons of Washington milk from Darigold, a Northwest cooperative owned by local dairy farmers.

A July press release I found online noted McDonald’s launched the From Here campaign to showcase local agricultural sourcing and community impact in the Pacific Northwest. The campaign will appear in western Washington through August.

Many customers, the release noted, are surprised to learn the local connection.

Admittedly, I was one of them, but why? It makes sense. Why would a Washington restaurant bring in its milk from Wisconsin? I know, it does happen and for that reason, the campaign is taking some hits from bloggers who call it “local washing,” which I think means watering down the local piece in order to capitalize on the eat-local movement.

In addition to the milk, McDonald’s Sourcing Facts note 88 percent of apples served at McDonald’s in western Washington are grown in Washington state. McDonald’s bought 13 million pounds of apples from here in 2009. The primary supplier of those apples is Tree Top.

The fact sheet also points out 95 percent of french fries and hash browns served at McDonald’s in western Washington are from Washington with 18 percent of french fries and hash browns served at McDonald’s nationally in 2009 coming from Washington. The website notes almost one of every three McDonald’s french fries is made from Washington potatoes; within Washington state the number is closer to 95 of every 100 fries. The claim is more than 445 million pounds of Washington potatoes McDonald’s bought last year went into hash browns – nearly 18 of every 100 Washington potatoes becomes McDonald’s french fries or hash browns.

In fact, the facts note, 95 out of every 100 Filet-O-Fish sandwiches served here comes from the Pacific Northwest. In total, 43 million pounds of Pacific Northwest fish.

I thought about calling the corporate office to find out if my Washington McDonald’s serve Tully’s coffee from Sumner or Buono Coffee from Wilkeson. When I ordered a berry smoothie, I wondered if it was made with Maris raspberries, Spooner strawberries, Canter-Berry Farms blueberries or blackberries from the ditch near my house. I thought about asking, but I didn’t.

My local effort lost steam. I’m wondering if theirs will, too.