McDonald's vows to increase apple sales

Nation's Restaurant News, Sept 6, 2004

OAK BROOK, ILL. -- Quick-service giant McDonald's Corp. told leading apple growers at the U.S. Apple Association's 2004 Apple Crop Outlook and Marketing Conference in Chicago that it intended to spur economic growth for growers by adding more apple-based products to its menu. Earlier this summer McDonald's introduced Happy Meal Choices, which offers new selections like Apple Dippers and Minute Maid Apple Juice.

Combining the new-product introductions together with the traditional baked Apple Pie dessert, McDonald's said it had sold 118 million products in the first six months of 2004. The company estimates it will sell more than 35 million pounds of apples each year in Apple Dipper sales alone. Jim Cranney, vice president of the U.S. Apple Association, said the fast feeder has "provided a whole new avenue on ways to increase apple consumption, and to my knowledge, McDonald's is the leading purchaser of apples in the restaurant industry."