McDonald's will stop selling 'healthy' menu item due to lack of sales
- McDonald's CEO has revealed customers aren't interested in the healthy item
- READ MORE: McDonald's confirms it is killing off one of its most divisive items
McDonald's has confirmed that it will not be selling a healthy menu item as there is simply a lack of demand for them.
The fast-food chain discontinued salads from its menus during the pandemic in order to streamline and speed up its service but also to adapt to a disrupted supply chain.
McDonald's USA president Joe Erlinger has now made it clear that salads will not be making a comeback as consumers aren't fussed.
One thing that won't be returning to U.S. restaurants nationally is salads. The demand just isn't there,' Erlinger told the Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum in Chicago on Wednesday.
'They're looking for great french fries, they're looking for a $5 meal deal, they're looking for a hot, fresh sandwich, and so that's what we're going to continue to provide them' he explained of McDonald's customers.
The fast-food chain discontinued salads from its menus during the pandemic
Salads were first introduced onto MacDonald's menu in 2000 when the McSalad Shaker debuted with a big advertising push.
The green salads were served in a tall cup with dressing but were not seen as substantial by consumers and were therefore replaced by Premium salads in 2003.
These new salads offered a heftier portion including grilled chicken, mix-ins, and Newman's Own dressing.
'Almost 90 percent of the U.S. population has McDonald's one time a year,' Erlinger explained to the summit.
'Because we serve 90 percent of the U.S. population, we really need to stay true to who we are and view our business as an opportunity to drive greater frequency and serve more needs of customers, not necessarily figure out how to serve that last 10 percent or so.'
'Our founder famously said in 1970, "I don't know what people are going to be eating in the year 2000, but we're going to serve more of it than anybody else,"' the CEO said.
Adding: 'And so if people really want salads from McDonald's, we will gladly relaunch salads. But what our experience has proven is, that's not what the consumer is looking for from McDonald's.'
Salads were first introduced onto MacDonald's menu in 2000 with the McSalad Shaker
At the same time as he said the chain was ditching salads, Erlinger said that McDonald's had given up on its bid to sell meat-free beef burgers in America.
He said the McPlant has been ditched because customers did not want fake meat.
The chain had been testing the McPlant at several hundred restaurants in California and Texas since trials began in late 2021.
Developed with Beyond Meat, it was made from pea and rice proteins.
While it has flopped in the US, it has been a hit in the UK, Germany , Holland and Portugal.
McDonald's is now shifting its focus to chicken, which has become more popular among its customers than beef, partly due to its lower cost.
