US fast food chains turning away from fresh produce

Salads and fresh-cut fruit on fast-food outlet menus could become increasingly scarce if eateries follow the example of some chains in the US.

Media pressure prompted many chains to introduce healthier options, such as fresh-cut fruit, as healthy alternatives, but some chains in the US seem to have changed tack.

Burger King’s offering - the Stacker Quad - consists of four beef burgers, four slices of cheese, and four strips of bacon in a bun and contains as much saturated fat as three Big Macs. It is marketed specifically on the basis it contains no vegetables.

The American chain Wendy’s also seems to have done a u-turn on fresh produce. It removed its fresh fruit salad bowl just months after it was introduced, blaming a lack of demand. “We listened to consumers who said they wanted to eat fresh fruit,” a spokesman told the New York Times, “but apparently they lied.”