McDonald's is testing its new version of McNuggets - one without the preservatives. Will they taste just as good? We'll find out more when Mickey D's wraps up its taste test and rolls out nationwide.
In early March, McDonald's launched the taste test for its "cleaner" version of the much-loved McNuggets in 140 branches in Portland, Oregon and southwest Washington State.
The new version says it follows a "simpler recipe" with no artificial preservatives added. Instead, the new McNuggets contain other ingredients that people are more familiar with such as rice starch and lemon juice solids.
McDonald's spokeswoman Becca Hary did not confirm if the new McNuggets is scheduled for a nationwide rollout this summer.
"This is very much a test. More than ever, customers care about where their food comes from and how it is prepared. We're not making any announcement," said Hary.
The McDonald's spokeswoman added the company has received favorable responses from the consumers in the Pacific Northwest test market regarding the new recipe.
The much-loved McNuggets was first rolled out in 1979. According to the McDonald's website, the bite-sized chicken nuggets have a 32-ingredient list, which includes the oil in which the nuggets are fried.
The new McNuggets follows the fast food chain's latest initiatives to make their menu "healthier." Last year, McDonald's promoted that its McMuffin breakfast sandwiches are made with fresh eggs, not with frozen egg patties. The company further committed to using only cage-free eggs by the year 2025.
Also in 2015, McDonald's replaced margarine with butter in the Egg McMuffin. This "back-to-the-basics" move resulted in an instant double-digit increase in the product's sales percentage.
In the past years, Mickey D's has suffered from the notion that fast food is low quality, which helped "real food" rivals such as Chipotle Mexican Grill increase in popularity.
Since Steve Easterbrook took the reins of the company when he became CEO in March 2015, the fast food giant has made several steps towards the adoption of "healthier" foods.
Within eight months of Easterbrook's leadership, some of McDonald's pledges include the use of only antibiotic-chicken, testing out kale dishes, new premium burgers, and artisan chicken sandwiches.
Photo: Jacob Enos | Flickr
