Following consumer preferences for more colorful salads, McDonald’s revealed that it will this month start using a new salad blend featuring carrots and red leaf lettuce.
The new ingredients, which will appear in McDonald’s U.S. locations, offer some visual contrast to the kale, spinach and romaine that make up the chain’s current salad base.
"Color in produce is an expression of different nutrients," said Jessica Foust, a corporate chef for the chain.
This is McDonald’s second salad blend revamp in recent years—in 2015, it made the switch from iceberg lettuce to its current lettuce blend.
The chain has recently tested other product upgrades, including the use of fresh beef patties in the Dallas market and the sale of tossed-to-order garlic fries in the Bay Area.
Such moves could be a bid for the business of growing fast-casual burger chains, many of which emphasize the relative healthfulness and freshness of their ingredients.
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