Posts Tagged “sliced apples”
McDonald’s is talking up a milestone in providing children increased access to fruit through sliced apples served in Happy Meals.
Since 2004, the Oak Brook, Ill.-based foodservice operator reports serving more than two billion packages of sliced apples in Happy Meals, according to a news release.
In 2012, McDonald’s began serving the sliced apples as the default side item instead of french fries.
McDonald’s needed suppliers to develop the capacity to offer the product at restaurants nationwide. The success at McDonald’s led to fresh-cut apple availability at retail, schools and other quick-service restaurants, according to the release. McDonald’s has 14,000 locations in the U.S.
“As the first restaurant to offer fresh-cut apple packages as a side choice for children in April 2004, McDonald’s helped transform the children’s meal nutrition landscape by being the first to successfully create a market for convenient and easy, fresh-cut apple packs,” McDonald’s officials said in the release. “Today, all children in the U.S. under the age of 12 have only ever known a Happy Meal that included the option of apple slices.”
“This milestone is a marker of McDonald’s continuing to play an important role in every community and our ongoing efforts to help increase access to fruit and other nutritious food for children,” Steve Kerley, vice president and general manager of McDonald’s in the Philadelphia region, said in the release. “The decision to serve real apple slices with Happy Meals more than a decade ago helped make it easier for parents to ensure that their children are getting wholesome options.”
McDonald’s is the world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries.
Founded in the United States in 1940, the company began as a barbecue restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald. In 1948, they reorganized their business as a hamburger stand using production line principles. Businessman Ray Kroc joined the company as a franchise agent in 1955. He subsequently purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers and oversaw its worldwide growth.