The menu board at McDonald’s is about to get a makeover because some of your most cherished menu items are about to bid adieu. Read on to discover which McDonald’s items are departing and why you’ll want to make a flavor pilgrimage to savor them one last time before they’re gone for good.
McDonald’s Salads
During last week’s WSJ Global Food Forum, McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger revealed that salads won’t be returning to the fast-food giant’s menu due to low demand.
McDonald’s first offered salads in the United States in 1987. Since then, they have updated their salad lines multiple times.
In 2000, McDonald’s introduced McSalad Shakers, which were green salads sold in a plastic cup designed to fit in vehicle cupholders. These were discontinued in 2003. McDonald’s then launched a line of Premium Salads (as part of the McDonald’s Premium line). and later introduced the Bacon Ranch Salad with Crispy Chicken and the Southwest Salad with Artisan Grilled Chicken.
In 2021, McDonald’s quietly dropped salads from its US menu during the COVID-19 pandemic, citing a need to simplify operations and improve customer experience. While a lot of health-conscious McDonald’s customers are waiting for their return to the menu, many franchises have declined to bring back salad options. Now, with Erlinger’s recent announcement, it looks like salads aren’t going to be part of the McDonald’s menu for a long time.
Despite the announcement, some McDonald’s locations in the U.S. may still offer salads. These would likely be leftover stock or a regional decision by the franchise owner, so if you want to enjoy them one last time, visit a McDonald’s outlet near you and ask if they still offer salads.
McPlant
Erlinger also said during the WSJ Global Food Forum that McDonald’s McPlant will be discontinued after it failed to capture the interest of customers. “I don’t think the U.S. consumer is coming to McDonald’s looking for the McPlant or other plant-based proteins,” explained Erlinger during the event.
Recognizing the growing demand for plant-based options, McDonald’s partnered with Beyond Meat in 2017 to develop a plant-based burger patty. This collaboration took several years, with McDonald’s aiming to create a patty that replicated the taste and texture of their traditional beef burgers.
After several years, McDonald’s began testing the McPlant in eight U.S. restaurants in November 2021, followed by a wider rollout to 600 locations in the San Francisco Bay and Dallas-Fort Worth areas in February 2022. The McPlant has yet to see a full national rollout in the United States, and with Erlinger’s announcement, it looks like it won’t happen any longer.
Many vegetarians, flexitarians, and those curious about plant-based options enjoyed the McPlant’s taste and similarity to a traditional burger. However, some criticized the McPlant for not being truly vegetarian due to cooking on shared grills with meat products. Additionally, in some countries, the McPlant uses non-vegan cheese and mayonnaise.
The McPlant remains available in the U.K. and Ireland with a fully vegan option. In some European countries, like Germany, it is offered as a non-vegan option. Erlinger didn’t give an exact retirement day for the McPlant in the U.S., but it is believed that some McDonald’s locations in the country still offer the plant-based burger.
Declining consumer interest in plant-based meat
McDonald’s decision to stop offering salads and the McPlant is tied to the declining consumer interest in plant-based meat. According to a report from market research company Mintel, the plant-based meat market shrunk in 2023 by 3.6% year-on-year in the U.S. The report notes that the decreasing sales of plant-based meat may be due to a challenging economy where consumers are attracted to more “affordable dietary choices” and are “hesitant to invest in unfamiliar products amidst financial instability.”
Concerns about how healthy plant-based meat is for consumers may have also played a role in the declining consumer interest. Because of its ultra-processed nature, plant-based meat has been criticized for lacking enough amount of vitamins such as zinc, potassium, magnesium, and more, when compared to traditional real meat.