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When most people think of fast food they immediately think “unhealthy.” As obesity rates rise, some Americans have developed an obsession with finding healthy food, and anything foods with a reputation for unhealthiness have been shunned by many people.
To combat its unhealthy image, McDonald’s has removed the artificial ingredients from its burger, taking out such appetizing sounding additives such as calcium propionate and sodium benzoate. Julie Jargon reports on the move for The Wall Street Journal, writing:
Those and other ingredients found in the buns, cheese and sauce on some of McDonald’s best-known burgers are gone from its U.S. restaurants, the chain said Wednesday. The Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese and burgers in Happy Meals are now among items free from artificial preservatives, flavors and coloring.
The new recipes are McDonald’s latest attempt to project a more healthful image and reverse a sales slump in its main U.S. market.
McDonald’s this spring started making Quarter Pounders in the U.S. with fresh beef. The company has also replaced high-fructose corn syrup with sugar in its buns, removed artificial preservatives from Chicken McNuggets and reverted to butter instead of liquid margarine in Egg McMuffins.
The company said that since the changes, McNuggets sales have risen and burger sales have increased.
“This really is meant to serve as another proof point of what we’re doing at McDonald’s to enhance the quality of the food,” said Chris Kempczinski, president of McDonald’s USA. “We hope it’s the cumulative impact of all the changes we’ve been making that will move perception.”
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