Similarly, grape tomatoes, which dot the lettuce on McDonald's salads, are more than double the price of plum or standard tomatoes.
Despite the fragility of the salads and fruit, McDonald's says that it does not use any artificial preservatives or additives to keep them fresh longer. The calcium ascorbate in the Apple Dippers is not much different from the orange or lemon juice that many people pour on their homemade fruit salad to keep it from browning.
At Ready Pac's plant in Irwindale, California, oxygen is sucked out of the large lettuce packing bags and replaced with nitrogen, an inert gas. This is the same process used on bags of lettuce sold in supermarkets, and, as a result, the McDonald's supply of spring mix lasts about the same as they do: 14 days. Because of that, said Smith, the McDonald's executive, "we have to have a very tight-knit distribution network."
Limited Value
Some critics bristle at the notion that McDonald's has somehow become healthier simply because it uses natural dressings and sell salads and some fruit. "Nearly all the entree choices at McDonald's -- as well as Burger King and Wendy's -- are still all of poor nutritional value," said Margo Wootan, director of nutritional policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food activist group. "I applaud them for making those changes, but there's still a lot more that needs to be done."
Wootan also points out that the Apple Dipper caramel sauce, which is packaged separately, has nine grams of sugar, which is one-quarter of the total recommended daily limit under the new USDA guidelines.
Other advocacy groups said that they are hopeful that McDonald's will one day use its power not only to get better prices and greater supply, but also to change the way the produce industry operates -- for the better. Ronnie Cummins, national director of the Organic Consumers Association, an advocacy group based in Little Marais, Minnesota, said he would like to see McDonald's buy some organic products, which he believes are more healthful for consumers.
In a 2003 report on pesticides in produce, the Environmental Working Group, a public-policy outfit based in Washington, ranked apples as the third most contaminated produce group, after peaches and strawberries. The findings were based on tests done by the US Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration from 1992 to 2001.
"McDonald's could have a huge impact," Cummins said. "They could be the company that changes agriculture toward a more organic and sustainable model." It may sound far-fetched, but from a company that's come a long way from the days of selling mainly hamburgers and fries, anything is possible.
RSS