Would you believe kale being served with a Big Mac?
Hum. Fast food giant McDonald’s is looking to add items with kale to its menu.
McDonald’s sources aren’t confirming the reports from dozens of media outlets, but it does appear that the trendy green may make its way to the Golden Arches.
Most of the hype stems from Janney Capital Markets analyst Mark Kalinowski, who cited an unnamed source: “Possibilities include kale for use in salads, or perhaps a kale smoothie.”
With the Oakbrook, Ill.-based chain losing market share in recent years, McDonald’s officials have said publicly that they’re open to anything to turn things around, including rethinking menu choices.
McDonald’s has noted it isn’t blind to Americans’ demand for more nutritious items, and kale has been one of the hottest trend items in U.S. restaurants, in general, over the past couple of years.
Kale-producing farms have nearly tripled from 2007 to 2012, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, and kale is featured on foodservice menus a whopping 400 percent more often today than it did in 2010.
However, McDonald’s seemed among the most unlikely candidates to add kale after a January McDonald’s TV ad campaign specifically vowed the chain would never serve kale, in fact chastising vegetarians and featuring footage of McDonald’s signature sandwich, the Big Mac.
“You can’t get juiciness like this from soy or quinoa,” a narrator says in the ad. “This is not Greek yogurt. Nor will that ever be kale.”