Avian flu threat looms over McD's; Focus on chicken could backfire if virus hits U.S.(News)

Crain's Chicago Business, April, 2006 by JARGON, JULIE

Byline: JULIE JARGON Hurrying to grab lunch downtown last week, Vanita Moore decided to try McDonald's new chicken club, one of the priciest items on the menu. But on her way out of the River North restaurant, Ms. Moore, who usually orders a burger, said her new taste for chicken would vanish with any outbreak of avian flu in the U.S.

"I don't know much about avian flu other than it's happening in another part of the world,'' says the 43-year-old marketer. Uninformed but skittish customers like Ms. Moore could pose a serious problem for McDonald's Corp. in the event the bird flu makes its way to the U.S.-despite the fact that no fatal cases of avian flu have come from eating fully cooked chicken. The company is counting on its new sandwiches and other...

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