McDonald’s new salad blend features red leaf lettuce and curls of crisp carrots combined with chopped romaine, baby spinach and baby kale.
McDonald’s sources its red and green lettuces from Taylor Farms, Fresh Express, Ready Pac and McEntire Produce. Last year, the fast-food company shifted from using iceberg lettuce in its salads to a more nutrient-dense blend, said Andrew Williams, director of product management at Fresh Express.
Andrew Williams: “Iceberg has been a staple of salads since the 1930s, but McDonald’s looked at its salads and decided it needed to innovate by adding more flavor and nutritious ingredients. We’re also seeing a huge shift in the industry as a whole to kales, arugulas, and spinach.”
Most of McDonald’s lettuce is harvested in Salinas Valley in California during the summer and Yuma, Ariz., during the winter, according to the company.
Early last year, McDonald’s began offering side salads as an alternative to french fries in combo meals as part of its partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
Source: foodbusinessnews.net