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McDonald’s switching to butter

McDonalds bagel

McDonald’s is revamping its breakfast menu including a switch from liquid margarine to butter. The fast-food giant will begin transitioning the 14,000 restaurants in the U.S. in October. Butter will be used to cook breakfast items on the grill as well as on toasted English muffins, biscuits and bagels. Another change will have breakfast items offered 24-hours a day.

Dairy Management Incorporated (DMI) CEO Tom Gallagher says the change is the latest success story for the dairy checkoff. He says two-and-a-half decades of producer-funded research has been able to slowly turn public and health care professional opinions about the benefits of dairy. “Without that research, we wouldn’t be talking about the value of milkfat.”

Gallagher says in 2009 the National Dairy Board made a change, choosing to move checkoff dollars from TV and retail promotions into building partnerships in the food industry. One of the first partnerships was with McDonald’s. DMI placed product development people on the staff of McDonald’s chief chef. They have since added a registered dietician and sustainability person.

Gallagher says the DMI people have been key in the development of a number of products for the restaurant. “If you eat a dairy product or a product with dairy in it at McDonalds, one of our scientists created that product.” This transition to butter folded right into McDonald’s effort to reach the customer looking for natural and real products. Gallagher expects the move to have “a catalytic effect” prompting others to follow suit.

Gallagher talks about the effort:

 

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