Going Clean? McDonalds New Menu

Ask anyone in my family or circle of friends about my disdain for fast food. Not that I don’t indulge in the occasional burger and fries while traveling or in a hurry; but, as a general rule I stay away from it. Be it the increased sodium, the fat content, or just the multitude of questions as to the origin of fast food meat, there are better, healthier options. Until now that is. McDonalds New Menu revolution.

McDonalds is in the process of revitalizing the menu and is promoting an ingredient change to their signature burgers. Could it be that after all of the bad publicity, McDonald’s has finally listened to the consumer? Maybe … time will tell.

McChanges

“Change is never easy,” my grandmother always said. “But sometimes it’s needed.” Maybe Ronald McDonald listened. From the main news page at mcdonalds.com: “Since 2014, McDonalds USA has been on a food journey. We’ve been laser-focused on using our size and scale to implement meaningful changes across our entire menu, changes that we know are important to our customers, our franchisees, our people and our planet. We’ve evolved everything from when we serve certain items, to how we cook our beef patties, to the ingredients we use across our menu. And now, we’ve taken that journey to new heights.”

This is exciting stuff from a company that’s been around longer than I have.

The big question on my mind was what exactly was going to change? We have grown accustomed to time-tested favorites and changing them could have a negative outlook for the future. Lucky for us we have a list of the items up for a change: hamburger, cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, McDouble, Quarter Pounder with cheese, Double Quarter Pounder with cheese, and Big Mac.

I would be lying if I said my mouth was not watering by now.

McSpacifics

So what exactly are these changes? Is McDonald’s reinventing the wheel or are they going for subtlety here? Right out of the gate we are looking at four major changes to the above mentioned burgers. Let’s look at these a little closer.

Real Cheese. The cheese placed on all of these burgers is a blend of Cheddar and Colby. What is being excluded is: oil, starch, and fillers.

Special Sauce. Part of the success of McDonald’s Big Mac is the special sauce. It has now been “simplified” without giving up taste by removing things that would make a chemist scratch his head.

Buns. Across the board the removal of artificial preventives seems to be the constant. The buns surrounding McDonald’s burgers are no different. Making fresh food from a fast food restaurant will be a challenge I am willing to stick around to see.

Beef. For me, this is the big one. As a self-proclaimed carnivore, quality beef is a plus. McDonald’s now says their beef patties are made from 100% pure beef. You won’t find any artificial flavors or additives here. Although I am still skeptical, I will be taste testing in the near future to see if there is a noticeable taste difference.

McChanges

Other than burgers, there are a few aesthetic changes set in motion. If you live near a McDonald’s (in this day and age that is a commonality) you might have noticed a facelift. I know in my town, three of the four McDonald’s went through some type of construction project within the past six months or so. Most changed the color of the outside of the building, changed the way the drive-through traffic flowed, and most had a total rebuild inside. Of course, this could be due to the age of the building but McDonald’s understands how a place looks has a lot to do with whether people want to eat there or not.

McHiccup

After a quick search for any type of negative response to McDonald’s changes, one came to the surface more than most: the apple pie. A slight ingredient change has caused a bit of a backlash for McDonald’s. Sliced apples instead of diced and a pinch of cinnamon were the subtle changes and boy did people notice. Time will tell if McDonald’s listens and changes it back but they are pushing for better ingredients and taste so I doubt they will.

The McBoss

Chris Kempczinski, McDonalds’ USA President, recently spoke out about the changes and what the future holds for McDonald’s as a corporation. When asked about timing, he said “It has been a little bit of an effort. We’ve been working on this for over a year.”

We all know planning like this on such a grand scale cannot happen overnight. This “facelift” has been in the works for quite some time. I for one will say it’s about time. Kempczinski also said on the subject of timing, “These things don’t happen in one fell swoop. They happen in a series of moves.”

When asked about cost, Mr. Kempczinski was tight-lipped but did offer: “The cost on this is minimal. It’s not zero cost. We’re just going to absorb that within our pricing structure.”

“This is a customer expectation. Clearly customers are having an elevated expectation around food quality,” Mr. Kempczinski stated. The food industry is finally starting to listen to the public. Better quality and better ingredients, even for food labeled fast food, is taking hold around the country.

The McFuture

As an advocate for food safety and healthy eating, it is best to remember fast food is just that, fast food. I must admit, there were times growing up and when my children were young it was a lot easier to grab burgers on the way home from work than fix dinner. That all changed when my awareness of how detrimental fast food was.

As I mentioned earlier, there are still times it is easier to stop and eat fast food instead of cooking. It happens right? I believe the issue comes when we use fast food as out primary eating outlet.

Now that McDonald’s is aware of the public’s desire to eat healthier, the ball shifted to their court. If the early reports are true, then McDonald’s has stepped up in a big way. This isn’t going to get me to start eating there more; but, it will allow me another option for eating healthy.

Props to McDonald’s for listening.

By: Dwight Spencer, Contributing Writer (Non-lawyer)

The post Going Clean? McDonalds New Menu appeared first on Make Food Safe.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What’s in Your Kitchen?  Whoopie Pies, Drinks, Raisins, and Chickpea Salad

What’s in Your Kitchen? MakeFoodSafe.com would like to help you keep your family safe from unsafe foods.  Each week we bring together a list of the current recalls.  Some recalls are issued due to undeclared allergens, which could cause serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if someone sensitive to the product consumes it.  Other recalls are issued due to contamination with harmful material or other health risk.  Check back often and evaluate your fridge, pantry, and shopping list to make sure you can identify which foods to avoid. Stewart’s Shops Corp Recalls Cranberry Apple Refresher Due to Undeclared Allergen Stewarts Shops Corp of Saratoga Springs, New York issued a recall on October 17, 2018 for their approximately 2,300 units of Cranberry Apple Refresher due to the undeclared allergen, milk.  Those with an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk risk serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if the product is consumed. The recall was initiated...
Read more

Injury Data Reveals Infrastructure Need for E-Scooter Riders in NY

The uptick in electric scooter riding in New York City has come with a slew of complications, including a rising number of scooter-related injuries . New York City leaders and scooter company officials alike are weighing their options for creating a safer transit environment for these e-scooters. One recent report suggests that the most promising option is to create more third-lane, or bike lane, options for electric scooters. This report, compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), found that most people who are injured in scooter accidents were riding on a sidewalk at the time of their accident. Their research suggests that scooter riders often do not feel safe enough to share the road with cars, so they opt for using sidewalks when bike lanes are not available. While this may keep scooter riders safe from colliding with vehicles, it puts pedestrians who use sidewalks at a greater risk. The data show that three out of every five scooter riders who were injured s...
Read more

Food Safety Better at Fast Food or Full-Service Restaurants?

When you go out to eat, there is a level of trust you are putting in the hands of the people who are preparing your food.  There are regulations in place, health department inspections, and a cleanliness factor you expect of a food establishment.  But the bottom line is, a large number of foodborne illnesses occur as a result of eating at a fast food or full-service restaurant establishment.  According to the FDA Report on the Occurrence of Foodborne Illness Risk Factors in Fast Food and Full Service Restaurants, 2013-2014, prepared by the FDA National Retail Food Team, “Consumer demand for food away from home has led to increased spending in both fast food and full-service restaurants.”  According to the study, there are over one million restaurants employing more than 14 million food service workers. So, food safety as it related to fast food and food service is a thing. Food borne illness is serious.  According to the Center for Disease Control and Preventi...
Read more