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After 12 months
of declining sales, McDonald's is launching new products,
including premium salads and all-white-meat chicken McNuggets,
in order to attract consumers who are looking for healthier
meal choices.
The new product
line will feature salads with dressings from the Newman’s
Own label from actor Paul Newman, and a lower fat, all-white-meat
version of chicken McNuggets are being tested in New York.
The company also began offering fresh fruit in Britain and
has recently brought back its Grilled Chicken Flatbread sandwich
in the United States.
The new salads,
to include varieties such as California Cobb and Caesar, will
replace the McSalad Shaker and cost about $3.99.
The new product
line has been successful in test markets. For example, daily
lunchtime salad sales at one store in the Chicago suburbs
climbed from 20 to 25 to more than 100 after introducing the
new products without advertising.
McDonald’s
is the largest restaurant company worldwide, with about 30,000
hamburger outlets. Analysts remain skeptical about the success
of the new menu items, as the company is perceived to be behind
competitors in menu innovation and earlier attempts at new
items, such as the lower-fat McLean Deluxe and adult-oriented
Arch Deluxe hamburgers, were not very successful.
Some industry watchers
support McDonald’s for offering healthy food choices
in a time when pressures over obesity and nutrition are increasing.
However, analysts don’t think the company will stray
too far from their basic burgers and fries menu. Accordingly,
McDonald’s delayed a decision to cook its french fries
in lower-fat oil, saying that they are most focused on product
quality and customer satisfaction.
Reuters
Health March 10, 2003
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