McDonald's permanently removes beloved item from menu after 35 years amid 'lack of interest'

McDonald's US President Joe Erlinger said that salads will disappear from menus due to a lack of interest

McDonald's is set to revamp its menu, with some beloved items set to disappear. At the recent WSJ Global Food Forum, McDonald's US president Joe Erlinger announced that salads would not be making a comeback on the fast-food giant's menu due to lack of demand.

Salads first made their appearance on McDonald's menus in the United States in 1987. Since then, the salad offerings have been updated numerous times. In 2000, McDonald's launched McSalad Shakers, green salads sold in a plastic cup designed to fit in car cup holders. These were discontinued in 2003.

Following this, McDonald's introduced a line of Premium Salads as part of the McDonald's Premium line, later adding the Bacon Ranch Salad with Crispy Chicken and the Southwest Salad with Artisan Grilled Chicken.

In 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, McDonald's quietly removed salads from its US menu, citing a need to streamline operations and enhance customer experience. Despite many health-conscious customers eagerly awaiting their return, many franchises have chosen not to reintroduce salad options.

Now, following Erlinger's recent announcement, it seems salads won't be returning to the McDonald's menu anytime soon. Despite McDonald's announcement, there could still be some US stores doling out salads, either due to surplus stock or a regional decision made by the owner of the franchise. So if you're keen on having a McDonald's salad one final time, try paying a visit to your local outlet and inquire if they are still serving them.

During the WSJ Global Food Forum, Erlinger also revealed that McDonald's McPlant will be withdrawn from their menu, as it wasn't garnering enough customer interest. "I don't think the U.S. consumer is coming to McDonald's looking for the McPlant or other plant-based proteins," Erlinger clarified during the event.

Keeping in step with growing customer demand for plant-based alternatives, McDonald's teamed up with Beyond Meat in 2017 to create a vegan burger patty. The development process lasted several years, with McDonald's aspiration being to produce a patty that emulated the texture and flavor of their regular beef burgers.

The McPlant was initially trialed in eight US restaurants in November 2021, followed by a broader launch in approximately 600 locations in San Francisco Bay and Dallas-Fort Worth areas in February 2022. A full-scale US launch hasn't occurred yet, and with Erlinger's recent revelation, it seems likely that it won't be happening at all.

Many vegetarians, flexitarians, and those curious about plant-based options enjoyed the McPlant's taste and similarity to a traditional burger. However, some criticized the McPlant for not being truly vegetarian due to cooking on shared grills with meat products.

Additionally, in some countries, the McPlant uses non-vegan cheese and mayonnaise. The McPlant remains available in the UK and Ireland with a fully vegan option. In some European countries, like Germany, it is offered as a non-vegan option.

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Erlinger didn't give an exact retirement day for the McPlant in the US, but it is believed that some McDonald's locations in the country still offer the plant-based burger. McDonald's decision to stop offering salads and the McPlant is tied to the declining consumer interest in plant-based meat. According to a report from market research company Mintel, the plant-based meat market shrunk in 2023 by 3.6 percent year-on-year in the US.

The report notes that the decreasing sales of plant-based meat may be due to a challenging economy where consumers are attracted to more "affordable dietary choices" and are "hesitant to invest in unfamiliar products amidst financial instability."

The declining consumer interest may also be due to concerns about the healthiness of plant-based meat. Critics argue that, due to its ultra-processed nature, plant-based meat lacks sufficient amounts of vitamins such as zinc, potassium, and magnesium when compared to traditional real meat.

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