Fast Food Comes Clean

Quick-service chains are attempting to capture health-conscious consumers with healthier fare.

November 14, 2016

CHICAGO – Fast-food chains are spending millions of dollars to eliminate artificial ingredients, preservatives and other “bad” ingredients in an effort to court more health-conscious consumers, but it might not be enough to crack the health nut code, Bloomberg reports.

Some McDonald’s locations have kale salads, antibiotic-free chicken and whole wheat muffins. Last month, McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook said the company saw double-digit Chicken McNugget sales increases in the two months after announcing it now served antibiotic-free poultry. He labeled such changes as key to moving the fast-food burger chain to “a modern, progressive burger company.”

Also in October, Papa John’s revealed it had removed more than a dozen “unwanted ingredients” from its pizzas and toppings. Subway now has a multigrain flatbread. “Most of the people at McDonald’s aren’t there to get a salad,” said W. Douglas Evans, a professor of prevention and community health at George Washington University. “It’s probably going to follow the same pattern.”

The quick-service companies are facing stiff competition from fast-causal restaurants like Panera Bread, which offer fresher and “cleaner” foods. “We know clean food tastes better,” said Sara Burnett, Panera’s director of wellness and food policy.

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