Fresh meat at McDonald's more of a farce?

The fast-food chain McDonald's is now preparing their burger in Texas with fresh minced meat - instead of frozen foods as before. McDonald's reacts to competitors like Wendy's, Shake Shack and In-N-Out who use fresh meat.

An image problem
Although McDonald's is the market leader among fast food restaurants, it has an image problem. For consumer critics, the chain is the epitome of unhealthy "junk food" and a symbol of the capitalist exploitation of man and nature.

McDonalds Tastes Fresh Meat in Hamburgers (Renewer / fotolia.com)

A new nutritional life style: clean eating instead of junk food is modern. Smaller fast-food restaurants jumped early on this trend and combined fast food with health: smoothies to go or salads in wholegrain bread conquered the American market.

McDonald's tracked these trends, but could not get a new "clean food" image. More and more consumers switched to smaller snack chains.

In the US, comparative advertising is allowed, and Wendyś mocks McDonald's frozen patties. The are suitable at most as a projectile or beer mat - not to eat.

The Dallas experiment
Nowhere in the US does citizens consume as much beef per capita as in Texas, and competitions for the best steaks are part of the national culture. McDonald's will start the fresh meat experiment in the "Cave of the Lion" - in 14 restaurants in Dallas.

Quality Burger
Burger restaurants offering freshly made burgers-with organic meat or Galloway and Aberdeen Angus beef-challenge McDonald's with quality burgers.

An own scene stands today between classical restaurants and fast food for the mass. Such grills use fresh meat, fresh salad and creations like gorgonzala burger with pear or veggie burger in home-baked whole-grain ciabatta bread.

Although they have their price, but are usually neither over salted nor überzuckert and greasy as the products of McDonald's, Wendyś or Burger King. Consumers now know: Fast Food and Co: Modern nutrition favors obesity.

Fresh meat for mass-produced goods?
Is fresh meat even useful for the mass processing of customers? Consumer advocates generally warn against massive health damage from fast food. Accordingly, fast food leads to allergies, promotes eczema and asthma, contains too much salt, sugar, fats and calories, some dangerous additives. Although McDonald's scored best in a test of unhealthy fast food chains, controlling fresh meat is also difficult here.

In fact, fresh minced meat is very susceptible to bacteria - in contrast to the shockingly frozen patties. In addition, fresh meat does not contain more nutrients than frozen with modern methods.

The burger chain Chipotle Mexican Grill in the US involuntarily demonstrated the disadvantages of fresh ingredients in fast-food restaurants: customers consumed salmonella, coliform and noroviruses in tacos and burritos.

Meanwhile, if McDonald's turns to fresh minced meat, that will cost many millions, because the company would have to rebuild its entire supply chain and production structure. Fresh meat does not last: What the customers do not eat in one day, must go. This is another reason why switching is expensive.

In general, the question is: can the hygiene standards for fresh minced meat be met in the case of mass supply to customers? (Dr.Utz Anhalt)