McDonald’s making some healthful tweaks to menu
ASSOCIATED PRESS
, July 28, 2016, photo shows a Dunkin’ Donuts in Edmond, Okla. Already, the emergence of smaller rivals promising more wholesome alternatives has major restaurant chains scrambling to improve the image of their food. But some of the tweaks they’re making underscore how far they have to go in changing perceptions. Dunkin’ Donuts, for instance, says it plans to put more of a special ingredient in its egg patty: eggs. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
An order of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets was displayed in March 2015 in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. McDonald’s said it is testing Chicken McNuggets made without artificial additives and fresh beef instead of frozen beef for some burgers.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A McDonald’s sign in Miami on June 28. Convincing people it serves wholesome food is particularly important for McDonald’s, which has long courted families with its Happy Meals and Ronald McDonald mascot.
NEW YORK » McDonald’s, which is trying to shake its image for serving processed junk food, said today it’s eliminating some unpalatable ingredients from its most popular menu items.
That includes making Chicken McNuggets and other items without artificial preservatives, and removing high-fructose corn syrup from its burger buns. McDonald’s did not immediately respond when asked about which specific preservatives are being removed.
The changes come as the world’s biggest burger chain fights to win back customers after three straight years of declining guest counts at its established U.S. locations. Major restaurant chains are scrambling to step up the image of their food as they face more competition from smaller rivals promising more wholesome alternatives.
How meaningful the changes may be to customers remains to be seen.
Michael Jacobson, executive director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the changes by McDonald’s don’t seem to address the big picture problem with restaurant food — the overabundance of calories. For instance, he said swapping out high-fructose for sugar doesn’t make burger buns any healthier.
In the past year and a half, McDonald’s has also said it switched to butter from margarine for its Egg McMuffins and changed its salad to include kale and spinach. Its rivals have made changes as well.
Dunkin’ Donuts, for instance, has promised to put more egg in its egg patty. Currently, the patty looks like a fried egg but is a composite of ingredients including egg whites, water, egg yolks and modified corn starch. As part of its own push to remove artificial ingredients, Taco Bell has said it would switch to actual black pepper rather than “black pepper flavor.”
Subway has also introduced a “rotisserie chicken” and “carved turkey” that have more texture and look more natural than its regular chicken strips and turkey. It’s offering both versions to avoid alienating fans who might not want any changes.
But convincing people it serves wholesome food is particularly important for McDonald’s, which has long courted families with its Happy Meals.
The company’s sales in its flagship U.S. market have showed improvement in recent quarters, helped by the fanfare over the introduction of an all-day breakfast menu in October. In the most recent quarter, though, McDonald’s said sales edged up just 1.8 percent at established locations, boosted by higher pricing as people opted for items that cost more. That signaled that any excitement from all-day Egg McMuffins could already be losing steam.
McDonald’s had signaled that tweaks to its menu were in store, telling investors during a presentation in late 2014 that it was evaluating its cooking procedures and ingredients as part of its push to fix its struggling businesses.
“We need to think about our ingredient labels as being much smaller,” said Mike Andres, head of McDonald’s U.S., at the time.
The latest changes were announced at an event about the company’s “food journey” at its headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. Reporters there posted images of “breakfast bowls” and other new items the company is testing. And a McDonald’s chef demonstrated making Egg McMuffins with freshly cracked eggs — a point the company has been trying to emphasize in advertising to convey the message that it serves real food.
21 responses to “McDonald’s making some healthful tweaks to menu”
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What about food handling safety? I noticed a pattern whenever I eat at McDonald’s. That’s when I have gotten sick. Then when I observed a worker walk out of the bathroom stall without washing his hands first it became apparent to me that eating at fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and Burger King (that’s where a friend and I both ate and got sick after eating) is putting my health at risk. No matter how many training sessions the workers receive, workers who do not care about customer food safety will not follow proper hygiene rules when not being observed. It is what it is.
You failed to mention if the McDonald’s restroom had a door handle which must be touched to open the door. If so, the employee would have got their hands dirty again while leaving. Policy is to wash your hands at the sink just for this in the food prep area before working the food line. Clearly you never worked under these conditions, not knowing what to look for.
You failed to say what you got sick with. Are you saying it happens every time? Really? Very unlikely. You could have easily got this from touching something else at another location, from food/drink at home, or just a virus.
Until you know all the facts, quit spreading urban legends. Just affirms your status as a Rookie Poster. Your report is what it is = Shibai. Sad.
It’s a gamble. Gambling in Hawaii, no need go Vegas. Better odds of winning too.
yikes!
“Then when I observed a worker walk out of the bathroom stall without washing his hands first…” It’s usually more effective to wash your hands AFTER you use the bathroom.
Gee, I understood the comment. You are picky, picky, picky. There was no need to criticize that commenter.
Who’s criticizing? Just being facetious. You are literal, literal, literal.
You get sick every time you eat at McDonalds. That sounds unlikely. P.S. I get sick at regular restaurants more often. Waiters hold your plates with bare hands.
I’m guessing that at any restaurants the workers are not careful about washing hands and other hygiene. In fact, a national chain like McD’s might have more clear rules and reminder notices, so might actually have better hand washing than a family-owned diner or even a fancy restaurant.
Crooked Hillary hiring.
are you obsessively-compulsively nuts?
So tired of same old food. Bring in Chipotle and Chik-fil-a. Needs some variety when you’re stuck on an island. Replace the sodas with some genuine island juices. Love to see some passion fruit and guava juices. More non-sugar and non-caffeine drinks like soy milk plain. Try salad bars where you can help yourself and make your own dishes or serve a plain hamburger on bun and let the customer go down the buffet line and choose their own condiments. Need less workers this way.
I like salad bars too but they are really difficult to keep hygienic. We found out in our school some years ago that even installing sneeze guards and cooling didn’t make them acceptably safe. I’m not sure if really good solutions exist but I’m salivating while thinking about a really good salad bar.
Chipotle? Really? After they willfully made people sick with contaminated food? They have yet to fully recover after their utter incompetence.
Actually there is no such thing as “Soy Milk” as milk comes from cows and there are no Soy Cows. Just a bean powder mixed with water, nothing more.
Milk can come from more animals than cows.
Salad bars and buffets? You mean where dozens of people handle the same utensils with their bare hands and breathe, sneeze, and cough on the same food you put on your plate?
People get sik often by enjoying shared salad bars.
Unfortunately, they still sell sugary soda. Usually you help yourself to whatever quantity you want.
Burger, fries and a drink costs almost as much as a mini at L&L’s. Processed food vs. real food. Not even close. Just stay away from the fried foods.
Never mind “healthful tweaks…” just center the meat on the bun for goodness sakes. Sloppy food. Serve what you already have better.
So all this time these fast food joints been serving us “crap” ingredients detrimental to our health system which is the cause of obesity, high blood pressure, heart failure, diabetes, and cancer. I mean, this only goes to show that the customer was nothing but a guinea pig being served with poisonous ingredients that over a period of time caused harmful effects leading to more medical bills…..oh, well…nobody’s fault but our own for patronizing these restaurants or fast food joints…….we’re too lazy to eat healthy so as parents, we purchase these fast food items giving it to our kids for lunch or dinner…………nothing more and nothing less.