Fast-food giant McDonald’s increased focus on salads has proved the driving force for sales, boosting net profits by 42 per cent.
The company recorded a profit of $727.9m (£382m) for the first three months of 2005 on sales of $4.8bn, beating analysts expectations, McDonald‘s said.
With an increasing focus on healthy eating, the fast-food chain responded by introducing new, healthier menus, highlighting salads.
The move has proved successful, with consumers in both Europe and the US returning to the company’s restaurants, although business is taking longer to turn around in Europe, it said.
Despite the healthy figures, the firm's shares fell one per cent, in the face of the rising cost of raw materials.
The group said the price of US beef was set to go up by five to eight per cent this year, while the cost of paper - used in much of its packaging - is also on the rise.
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