McDonald’s is introducing a new burger called the “McB” made from 100 percent organic beef. The organic burger will be offered on a limited basis from October 1 through November 18 in about 1,500 locations. The only trouble is that if you don’t live in Germany you can’t try it as it will only be offered there. Germany will also be host to another organic burger starting October 26 that will be called the “Long McB.”
Why Germany, and not the U.S. or anywhere else, for that matter? Germany is the second largest organic market in the world, after the U.S. While sales have dropped for McDonald’s in the U.S. they have increased in Germany for the first time since 2012. McDonald’s is closing up to 700 restaurants this year in the U.S.
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“We have made a great effort to secure sufficient quantities of meat which satisfies the organic requirements and our own quality claims,” said Holger Beeck, chief executive of McDonald's Germany.
McDonald’s announced earlier this year that it would be making its new grilled chicken sandwich with fewer ingredients and no preservatives. The artisan chicken sandwich is sold in over 14,300 U.S. restaurants. McDonald’s also announced this spring that it is phasing out antibiotics from its chicken supply chain in the U.S.
Why is McDonald’s making the move to offer more sustainably produced meat? Consider that fast food chains like Chipotle and Panera Bread are more popular and have had better sales than traditional fast food companies like McDonald’s. As a Triple Pundit article puts it, “Customers, especially the millennial crowd, now increasingly prefer fast-casual eateries where they can customize their orders and trust the ingredients or frequent a business where a commitment to the community and values makes people feel as if their money is well spent.”
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In other words, people increasingly want better food. So, chances are great one day organic burgers will grace the menus of McDonald’s restaurants around the globe, particularly in developed countries.
Image via Christian Kadluba
