McDonald's wants to explain why its burgers may not rot and there are no worms in its beef.
The world's biggest hamburger chain is confronting unappetising questions as part of a US campaign to beat back perceptions that it serves Frankenfood. The company has run similar campaigns in Canada and Australia, and said on Monday it's bringing the effort to its flagship market.
The push comes as McDonald's fights to boost its performance in the US, where sales slid 1.5 per cent at established locations in the most recent quarter, following a 0.2 per cent dip for last year. In addition to increased competition, McDonald's is trying to keep up with changing tastes, with places such as Chipotle marketing their food as more wholesome alternatives.
To improve the image of its food, McDonald's recently rolled out chicken wraps with sliced cucumbers and the option to substitute egg whites in breakfast sandwiches. It also plans to eventually let people swap out the french fries in value meals with options like salad or vegetables.
For its latest campaign, among the first issues McDonald's addresses are widely circulated online images and videos that show its burgers staying in tact after several weeks or even years. On its webpage, McDonald's says that's likely because the food has dehydrated, and that food needs moisture to form mould.
The company's responses to other questions such as "Does McDonald's beef contain worms?" are more direct: "No. Gross! End of story."
A video posted on the company's home page also showed Grant Imahara, a former host of the television show Mythbusters, touring a Cargill beef plant where McDonald's patties are made.
"Are there lips and eyeballs in there, Jimmy?" Imahara asks a plant supervisor, who explains that the patties only have beef trimmings. Another guide says the patties do not contain lean finely textured beef, an ingredient widely referred to as "pink slime" that became the subject of controversy a few years ago. McDonald's stopped using the ingredient about three years ago.
Ben Stringfellow, vice president of communications for McDonald's USA, said in a phone interview that the campaign is a new way of engaging with customers more directly. He noted people are demanding for more information about products across the board, not just from McDonald's.
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