McDonald's BTS-meal frenzy sparks virus closures in Indonesia

JAKARTA - More than a dozen Indonesian McDonald's outlets were temporarily shuttered Wednesday over virus fears as the chain's new BTS meal deal sparked frenzied buying from fans in the K-pop mad country. 

Jakarta and several other cities slapped closure stickers on at least 13 outlets that were deluged with online food-delivery drivers picking up a meal set named after the hugely popular Korean boy band. 

"We temporarily closed four of six McDonald's stores here in Semarang for a couple of days," said Fajar Purwoto, the city's public order agency head.

"I don't want Semarang to be in the COVID-19 red zone again."

Indonesia is one of the hardest-hit nations in Asia.

Jakarta authorities did not respond to requests for comment. But local media said five stores in the capital were shut over BTS meal orders.

The meal set of chicken nuggets, fries and a drink, first made available in Indonesia Wednesday, has been on offer in dozens of countries since May.

BTS have become global superstars with millions of fans around the world since their debut in 2013.

Agence France-Presse

McDonald's launching meatless 'McPlant' burger

NEW YORK - Fast food giant McDonald's on Monday announced it was launching a new plant-based burger named the "McPlant" to cater to the growing number of people who do not eat meat.

The group had already tested out a plant-based burger in cooperation with the company Beyond Meat, which specializes in vegan meat substitutes.

The new line will be produced exclusively for McDonald's, and will be introduced in selected markets next year.

The restaurant chain has not yet said if it will renew its collaboration with Beyond Meat, only saying it will reach out to third-party suppliers as with all its other products.

McDonald's told investors it was also considering plant-based substitutes for chicken products and for its egg and bacon breakfast sandwiches.

The brand had fallen behind in the niche market to rival Burger King, which was the first to launch a vegetarian version of its iconic "Whopper" burger in April 2019 in the United States.

McDonald's still relies on its flagship products like the "Big Mac", "McNuggets" and French fries, which account for around 70 percent of its sales in its main markets.

"As demand for the familiar in these uncertain times is more important than ever, the Company believes these core classics will continue to be significant drivers of growth thanks to both their popularity and profitability," McDonalds said in a statement.

The company also aims to put a new emphasis on chicken-based products, which are growing faster than the market for beef products.

Following the success of its spicy nuggets in the United States, McDonald's plans to launch a crispy chicken sandwich there in 2021.

To boost internet sales, which have already grown significantly since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the group will also test a new online platform and a new loyalty program.

It will also build new drive-in only outlets and have lines dedicated to customers who pre-ordered their meals online.

Agence France-Presse

McDonald's sells ready-to-cook chicken parts, nuggets during lockdown

MANILA - Ready-to-cook frozen food packs from McDonald's Philippines will be available starting Wednesday for take out and drive-thru orders during the COVID-19 lockdown, the company said.

Marinated chicken cuts are available for P219 per pack while chicken nuggets sells for P454 per 1.1 kg pack, McDonald's said in an advisory.

Jollibee started selling ready-to-cook products in March. Dine in option for restaurants was suspended during the enhanced community quarantine period.

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McDonald's Philippines issues P500-M response fund to aid employees, communities it serves

Golden Arches Development Corporation (McDonald's Philippines), majority owned and operated by Dr. George T. Yang, has announced the release of a response fund of P500 million to enable the company to provide assistance for its employees and the communities it serves given the current crisis that the whole nation is facing.

For company employees, the fund covers:

* Salaries of restaurant crew and managers—whether they are unable to come to work or not—and head office employees, to be released for the period of the Enhanced Community Quarantine.

* A special premium pay package to be provided for crew and managers who are able to come to work in selected stores that remain open to serve the community in enhanced quarantine areas.

* Special benefits like provision of care kits (face masks, alcohol and vitamins) to ensure employee safety in the workplace as well as provisions for premium pay.

For communities, the fund covers:

* Food to be donated to frontliners like medical health workers, LGU workers, NGO volunteers, and the marginalized sector who are challenged to have access to food during this time.

According to McDonald's Philippines Chairman and Founder Dr. George Yang, ''amidst any crisis, people must come first; we do what we can to ensure their welfare. We also have a responsibility to our partners to ensure that they can continue doing business and be able to care for their own people. Finally, as a Filipino company, we have a duty to be a partner of the government in serving the public in whatever way we can.''

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Burger King kills off plastic toys from kids' meals in UK

In the climactic scene of “Toy Story 3,” Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the crew narrowly escape death when a remote-controlled claw lifts them from an incinerator just before flames engulf them.

Now Burger King is set to enact an alternative ending — collecting, sorting and chopping up hundreds of thousands of tiny toys, before melting them into hot plastic at a factory in northern England.

To anyone with childhood memories of beloved action figures, this may sound like an act of carnage — more Dante’s “Inferno” than Disney Pixar. But the “meltdown” is intended as a grand environmental gesture. Faced with growing public concern over the proliferation of single-use plastic, Burger King has vowed to stop giving away plastic toys with children’s meals in Britain and has encouraged customers to deposit old toys in collection bins at the chain’s locations there.

In December, the recycling firm Pentatonic will melt those orphaned action figures, then turn the raw material into playground equipment and reusable tray tables. Burger King plans to eliminate non-biodegradable toys from all its restaurants worldwide by 2025.

“That might be a shame for a tiny minority of people,” said Alasdair Murdoch, chief executive of Burger King in the United Kingdom. “But it’s very clear that long term, people think that we’re doing the right thing.”

For decades, fast-food toys have operated as marketing tools designed to get children eating French fries and Chicken McNuggets. Politicians and public health advocates in the United States have repeatedly tried to ban them, arguing that fast-food marketing aimed at children contributes to obesity.

Those health concerns never swayed the major fast-food companies, but a viral British petition arguing that the toys “harm animals and pollute the sea” has made a stronger impression. It is part of a growing public backlash against single-use, disposable plastic items like straws and cups, as well as myriad other plastic objects piling up in landfills, littering beaches and floating in oceans.

Burger King is not the only chain contemplating a toyless future. In 2018, McDonald’s established a task force to explore “ways to lessen the impact of the toys,” according to Elaine Strunk, the chain’s director of sustainability.

Based on the task force’s recommendations, McDonald’s has moved to scale back the distribution of plastic toys in Britain and other markets outside the United States, although it has stopped short of pledging to discontinue them. In October, McDonald’s offered its British customers Happy Meals with a choice of a toy or a bag of fruit.

Next year, children at its British locations will be able to choose between a toy or a book. In the past, McDonald’s has handed out Roald Dahl books, as well as stories about dinosaurs by English author Cressida Cowell.

“We are on a journey across all of our categories and then beyond to make more sustainable environmental footprints,” Strunk said. “It’s always a lens through which we look at decisions we’re making.”

But environmental experts say it is not clear whether eliminating plastic toys would meaningfully advance plastic reduction efforts in the fast-food industry, let alone make a dent in the broader pollution problem.

Burger King has said ending distribution of the toys in Britain would reduce its annual plastic footprint by more than 300 tons. But the context for that number is unclear: Burger King has not calculated the total amount of plastic it uses across its global markets, according to its chief marketing officer, Fernando Machado. And at some restaurants in the United States, Burger King continues to serve drinks in foam cups, even as McDonald’s and other chains have banned the environmentally harmful products.

McDonald’s officials said the company was still working out an effective way to calculate its overall plastic footprint and declined to reveal the volume of plastic toys it distributes each year.

“If you’re a company like Burger King whose packaging is seen as a big part of the problem, it doesn’t make sense to act on the toys but not on your packaging,” said Conrad MacKerron, who helps run As You Sow, a shareholder advocacy group that has pushed major fast-food companies to cut down on plastic. “The company seems to be trying to impose a certain priority on this which I don’t think is necessarily merited.”

Machado said Burger King planned to eliminate foam cups soon. And in the coming months, he said, the company will publish a website detailing the steps it has taken to reduce pollution.

“We’re not sitting here on any level saying that we are perfect,” said Murdoch, Burger King’s chief in the United Kingdom. “We’re on a journey, and we’ve got a long way to go, but we’re pretty keen on it.”

For years, McDonald’s and Burger King have resisted attempts to regulate the distribution of plastic toys, which began proliferating in the 1980s. The toys have proved to be powerful marketing devices. A study by researchers at Dartmouth College found that knowledge of fast-food toys among young children “was associated with greater frequency of eating at McDonald’s.”

“It’s been a pretty important part of the business model of the companies that use them,” said Joel Bakan, author of “Childhood Under Siege,” a 2011 book about marketing efforts aimed at children. “Both the packaging of the Happy Meal and the addition of the toy to it was highly effective in reaching children.”

In 2010, legislators in San Francisco voted to bar fast-food restaurants from giving away toys with children’s meals that fell short of nutritional standards, arguing that the figurines promoted unhealthy eating. But McDonald’s got around the ban on giveaways by charging 10 cents for each toy.

In the last decade, officials in New York, Nebraska and Wisconsin have tried and failed to ban the plastic toys, stymied in part by the lobbying muscle of the fast-food industry.

Now, rising environmental concerns over plastic waste appear to be succeeding where the obesity argument failed. And fast-food chains have grown increasingly focused on digital marketing tools, such as giving children scannable codes that can unlock games on branded apps, making plastic figurines less crucial to attracting younger customers.

“Maybe this is not the key for them anymore,” said Sara Ribakove, a policy official at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which has campaigned against fast-food toys. “There’s a strong shift in the digital environment and the way we’re seeing marketing. It’s become much more personalized. It’s coming to everyone’s doorstep in a different way.”

Over the next few years, Burger King will gradually replace plastic toys with digital alternatives, company executives said, though the chain could also develop toys made from biodegradable materials.

A handful of other fast-food chains have scrapped the toys for commercial rather than environmental reasons. In 2013, Taco Bell announced that children’s meals would not be a part of its “long-term brand strategy.” Jack in the Box stopped giving away toys in 2011, saying, “We focus on adults and not children.”

But the major rival of McDonald’s and Burger King, Wendy’s, continues to offer the plastic figurines. Recently, the chain rolled out a line of Transformers toys. A Wendy’s spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.

McDonald’s has experimented with toy alternatives in a number of markets, including Germany and France as well as Britain. In Japan, McDonald’s allows customers to return toys so the company can convert them into trays, a project similar to Burger King’s initiative in Britain. In the coming years, McDonald’s officials said, the company expects to distribute fewer plastics toys, as books and other alternatives become more popular.

“It’s all about choice,” said Kandice McLeod, a McDonald’s official who oversees Happy Meal toys. “Our customers want to know that they have a choice in what they’re going to receive.”

In the United States, however, one crucial constituency appears to remain broadly supportive of plastic toys: children.

On a recent Sunday night at a McDonald’s in New York City, 8-year-old Amber Smith sat quietly, playing with the miniature Pokeball that had come with her Happy Meal. As far back as she can remember, she said, fast-food toys have been her favorite part of McDonald’s.

“All the toys, in my opinion, are super awesome,” she said. “I’m not picky with the toys.”

Asked about the prospect of a toyless Happy Meal, Amber balled her hands into fists. “I like the food, too,” she said. But without the toys, “I’d make a tantrum.”


2019 The New York Times Company

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McDonald's CEO's firing reflects rising scrutiny of work relationships

The #MeToo era has brought new scrutiny to a wide range of workplace misconduct — from discrimination to sexual harassment to assault — that was ignored, tolerated or even covered up in some corners of corporate America.

Now, the abrupt firing of McDonald’s chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, over the weekend highlights how even consensual relationships between managers and subordinates are drawing greater scrutiny.

Many of the circumstances of Easterbrook’s dismissal remain unclear, but McDonald’s said Sunday that its board had determined he engaged in a relationship that violated company policy. Its standards of business conduct prohibit employees with “a direct or indirect reporting relationship” from “dating or having a sexual relationship.”

“It is not appropriate to show favoritism or make business decisions based on emotions or friendships rather than on the best interests of the company,” the policy states.

In a regulatory filing Monday, McDonald’s said Easterbrook would receive 6 months of severance pay. That is likely to be around $675,000, or about half his base salary last year, according to the company’s 2018 severance guidelines. In the coming years, however, he stands to receive a total of more than $40 million in compensation, including stock options, according to an estimate by Equilar, an executive compensation consulting firm.

The mere fact that a successful executive was fired because of what McDonald’s described as a “recent consensual relationship” reflects changing attitudes about romance in the workplace, employment lawyers and other experts said.

“It’s a sign of the times,” said Wendy Patrick, a business ethics lecturer at San Diego State University. “You’re under a microscope in a way today that you never were before, simply because our awareness has been raised as to the problems that could potentially cause.”

Those problems include conflicts of interest, as well as the potential for a relationship that ends badly to result in harassment and retaliation.

Since announcing the leadership change on Sunday afternoon, McDonald’s has declined to reveal further details about Easterbrook’s relationship, including the employee’s position in the company, how the board found out about the relationship and how long it had lasted.

On Monday, McDonald’s human-resources chief, David Fairhurst, left the company. A spokeswoman for the fast-food chain wouldn’t say if the exit was linked to the investigation into Easterbrook’s relationship.

In recent years, other companies have taken similar actions penalizing workplace relationships. Last year, Intel’s chief executive, Brian Krzanich, resigned after the company discovered that he’d had a relationship with an employee — a violation of Intel’s “non-fraternization policy,” which applies to all managers.

“There has been a definite trend in the direction of written policies prohibiting romantic relationships between executives and their subordinates,” said Mark Spund, an employment lawyer in New York.

The policies can take a variety of forms. For example, many companies permit mid-level managers to have relationships with employees as long as they report the relationship. The rules for executives tend to be stricter.

“Companies in the aftermath of #MeToo have really understood that there’s an inherent power differential and what’s perceived to be consensual in the eyes of the executive may not be with the subordinate,” said Debra Katz, an employment attorney in Washington who has dealt extensively with workplace sexual harassment.

Still, sensitivity about workplace relationships — especially those involving a power imbalance — existed long before the #MeToo movement focused national attention on the misbehavior of men in power, shaking the entertainment, media and technology industries, among many others. In 2012, Best Buy’s chief executive, Brian Dunn, resigned after engaging in what the company described as “an extremely close personal relationship with a female employee.”

Both Dunn and the employee claimed that the relationship was not romantic. But an investigation by Best Buy found that Dunn had given the employee tickets to sporting events and concerts and that the pair had exchanged numerous phone calls and texts, some of which contained “messages expressing affection.”

And in 2005, Boeing’s chief executive, Harry Stonecipher, was forced to resign after he had a relationship with an employee.

The decision to fire Easterbrook may also reflect the specific pressures facing McDonald’s, which has been criticized recently for sexual harassment at the franchise level. Several Democratic presidential candidates this year have joined striking workers in demanding better protection from harassment, as well as union rights and a $15 minimum wage.

McDonald’s may want to “send a message to their employees that any kind of power-driven relationship is out of bounds,” said Eric Schiffer, an expert on reputation management.

2019 The New York Times Company

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McDonald's to test veggie burger in Canada

NEW YORK - Fast food giant McDonald's is dipping another foot into the world of plant-based "meat," announcing plans on Thursday to test a vegetarian burger in Canada.

The "PLT," standing for "Plant.Lettuce.Tomato," will be available for 12 weeks in 28 restaurants in Ontario starting on September 30.

"McDonald's has a proud legacy of fun, delicious and craveable food -- and now, we're extending that to a test of a juicy, plant-based burger," said Ann Wahlgren, vice president of global menu strategy.

"We've been working on our recipe and now we're ready to hear feedback from our customers."

Plant-based protein is not a completely new pursuit for McDonald's. The fast-food giant has launched with Nestle and vegetarian burger in Germany.

This time, McDonald's plans to partner with the fast-growing Beyond Meat, which developed a patty that McDonald's described as "delicious, juicy, perfectly dressed plant-based burger" with "the iconic McDonald's taste customers have come to love."

McDonald's rivals are also making a push into the fast-growing business.

Burger King in April unveiled a vegetarian "Whopper," while KFC, also with Beyond Meat, has sold plant-based nuggets.

While meat alternatives have been around for decades, a new generation of companies including Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat have employed technologies to produce proteins with taste and texture that more closely approximate meat.

Large food companies are also becoming more active in the space, with Nestle planning on October 1 to launch its "Awesome Burger" in the United States after unveiling the "Incredible Burger" in Europe.

jum-jmb/dg

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Branded podcasts a surprise hit with US consumers

The hit podcast “Serial” was the audio investigation that launched a thousand true-crime dramas, inspiring podcasters across the country to attempt ambitious reporting projects with gritty subject matter. There were “Dirty John” and “Hollywood & Crime,” “Death in Ice Valley” and “Atlanta Monster.”

And then there was “The Sauce.”

That three-episode “investigative podcast” was released last year by the media company Gizmodo and had somewhat lower stakes than the exoneration of a convicted murderer. With an eerie soundtrack meant to recall “Serial,” the show examined the “mystery” of how McDonald’s underestimated demand for a popular dipping sauce, enraging thousands of its customers.

The twist? The hard-boiled investigator scrutinizing that sauce shortage was McDonald’s itself.

“The Sauce” was a branded podcast that McDonald’s paid Gizmodo to produce as a tongue-in-cheek apology to disappointed customers. While it’s no exposé, the show offers a vivid illustration of how companies are increasingly using the tropes of popular podcasts in their own audio projects. These are not advertisements, exactly, but subtle brand-building efforts intended to entertain as well as persuade.

This year, Facebook began a podcast about entrepreneurship called “Three and a Half Degrees,” and technology companies like Microsoft and Lyft have their own shows. In June, New Balance began collaborating with podcasting company Gimlet on a show about clothing and sneaker culture.

“You get to catch that busy person where you couldn’t normally get them,” said Rob Walch, a vice president at Libsyn, a podcast distributor that works with companies developing branded content. “They’re listening with earbuds, and you’re literally inside their head.”

By some estimates, there are now as many as 750,000 podcasts, so it’s not necessarily a surprise that major companies are creating their own. What’s more surprising is that consumers, conditioned to skip past commercials on YouTube and install ad blockers on their browsers, are actually listening to them. Within a day of its release last year, “The Sauce” broke into iTunes’ top-100 podcast chart, reaching No. 94.

In general, companies have had the most success with shows that are not explicitly about their own products or services. In 2015, for example, General Electric released an eight-part science-fiction podcast called “The Message” that drew millions of listeners and briefly reached No. 1 on iTunes.

“What makes for a successful branded podcast are a lot of the things that make for a successful podcast, period,” said Matt Lieber, the president of Gimlet. “If a brand wants to make a commercial that’s 20 minutes long, it will fail.”

The exception seems to be Trader Joe’s, whose monthly podcast is dedicated entirely to the inner workings of its stores. After the first episode last year, “Inside Trader Joe’s” ranked No. 5 on the iTunes chart.

“This isn’t going to be a commercial,” Matt Sloan, one of the show’s hosts, declared at the beginning of that episode. But the podcast frequently promotes the chain’s products and trumpets its well-compensated staff; at some stores, it even plays over the loudspeakers while customers shop. One recent episode — titled “Why Is Everyone So Nice?” — features interviews with the company’s famously cheerful cashiers. About halfway through, one of the chain’s executives, Bryan Palbaum, offers a not-particularly-insightful answer about why they’re so pleasant: “Because they are.”

The supermarket’s loyal following doesn’t seem to mind the self-promotion. “Inside Trader Joe’s” has almost a perfect five-star rating on iTunes.

Companies have tried to reach consumers across a variety of mediums, from billboards to television commercials. In 1895, John Deere began printing a magazine, The Furrow, sometimes described as the “agrarian version of Rolling Stone.” Now it has a podcast, as well.

Over the years, these brand-building experiments have occasionally drawn criticism. In 2016, chip manufacturer Qualcomm released a half-hour commercial directed by an Academy Award winner. The short film raised concerns among some media critics about the blurring line between advertisements and entertainment.

Those same concerns may also apply to branded podcasts, said Mark Crispin Miller, a media studies professor at New York University.

“Propaganda — which, after all, is what this is — tends to be most successful when it slides into our consciousness without our quite perceiving it,” he said in an email.

But compared to other advertisements, industry experts say, branded podcasts appear relatively benign.

“Most of the podcasts are pretty transparent,” said Matthew Quint, a brand expert at Columbia Business School. “It seems to be a very good player amid other cases in which brands in all sorts of ways have their issues in protecting consumers and duping consumers.”

Branded podcasting actually predates the release of “Serial” by at least a year. One of the longest-running branded podcasts is an interview show called “Keeping You Organized” that began in 2013. It’s produced by Smead, a company that manufactures manila folders.

Every week, the show’s host, Smead marketing manager John Hunt, interviews a professional organizer about topics like how to efficiently dispose of the scraps left over from cutting coupons out of magazines.

“It’s not that easy to talk about things like file folders,” Hunt said. “But it is easier for us to talk about organizing.”

To some, that may not sound any more scintillating. Every week, however, around 6,000 people tune in to hear Hunt discuss decluttering or tax season.

“It’s not what you’d consider an NPR kind of podcast,” he said. “But if you were to put a value on having that kind of conversation with that many people directly a week, it’s pretty good.”

It’s unclear how much branded podcasts have helped companies generate sales or reach new customers. A strategically timed announcement on “Keeping You Organized” once helped Smead sell its inventory of 24-pocket folders, Hunt said. But for most brands, the benefits of podcasting are less tangible.

“We’re always thinking about how to make sure as a brand we’re relevant, we’re contemporary and we’re interesting,” said Linda Boff, chief marketing executive at General Electric, which began its second sci-fi podcast, “LifeAfter,” in 2016. “We get on the radar of future employees, young people who are making a choice as to where they want to work.”

The goal of the McDonald’s podcast was not simply to sell more dipping sauce. A few months earlier, the chain had been caught in a public-relations nightmare, when it severely underestimated consumer demand ahead of the reintroduction of its Szechuan Sauce, a teriyaki-flavored concoction made famous by the TV show “Rick & Morty.” At some of the chain’s locations, fights broke out as customers tussled over the scant supply of sauce packets.

“The biggest thing that they wanted to get across was that they were very sorry,” said Catherine LeClair, a freelance writer who hosted the show for McDonald’s.

LeClair, a vegetarian who rarely eats at the fast-food chain, was on the team that came up with the idea to frame the podcast as a spoof of “Serial.”

A longtime fan of the show, she listened to old episodes of “Serial” while composing the script for “The Sauce.”

“To try to emulate that,” LeClair said, “was almost like an honor.”

2019 The New York Times Company

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McDonald's loses 'Big Mac' trademark case to Irish chain Supermac's

McDonald's Corp has lost its rights to the trademark "Big Mac" in a European Union case ruling in favor of Ireland-based fast-food chain Supermac's, a decision from the EU's Spain-based Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) showed.

The judgment, provided to Reuters by Supermac's, revoked McDonald's registration of the trademark, saying that the world's largest fast-food chain had not proven genuine use of it over the 5 years prior to the case being lodged in 2017.

The EUIPO did not respond to phone calls and emails requesting comment.

McDonald's was not immediately available to comment on the decision. The decision said the company can still appeal.

With the revocation, Supermac's said it can now expand in the United Kingdom and Europe. The ruling also allows the Irish chain to use the "Big Mac" name on any food items it will sell.

Supermac's said it had never had a product called "Big Mac" and that McDonald's had just used the similarity of the two names to block the Irish chain's expansion.

"Supermac's are delighted with their victory in the trademark application and in revoking the Big Mac trademark which had been in existence since 1996," founder Pat McDonagh told Reuters in an email.

"This is a great victory for business in general and stops bigger companies from "trademark bullying" by not allowing them to hoard trademarks without using them."

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McDonald's unveils plan for cutting antibiotics in beef

NEW YORK - McDonald's announced a plan on Tuesday for a phased reduction of antibiotics in beef, expanding a health-oriented reform to a new meat source other than chicken.

The fast-food giant described a 3-stage process where it would first undertake a study of its top 10 beef sourcing markets of current antibiotic use in livestock and by 2020 establish reduction targets.

Starting in 2020, McDonald's will begin reporting progress against antibiotic reduction targets.

"McDonald's believes antibiotic resistance is a critical public health issue and we take seriously our unique position to use our scale for good to continue to address this challenge," said Keith Kenny, McDonald's global vice president for sustainability.

McDonald's, Walmart, Tyson Foods and others have already announced plans to restrict or phase out antibiotic use in chickens. 

The shift follows warnings about antibiotic resistance from health officials and a Sept. 2016 United Nations General Assembly resolution that pledged coordinated action to address overuse.

But despite the wave of announcements on chicken, there has not been comparable progress on beef, said Lena Brook, a food policy expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council, who praised the company for taking leadership following pressure from her group and others.

Brook said 43 percent of medically important antibiotics sold to the livestock industry go to the beef industry, compared to only 6 percent for chicken.

"The vast majority of these drugs are routinely distributed en masse in feed or water -- often to animals that are not sick to help them survive crowded and unsanitary conditions on industrial farms," Brook said in a blog post.

"Even as a wave of reform took hold in the chicken industry, the US beef industry has flown under the radar on this issue for far too long," Brook said.

"In the ongoing fight to end antibiotic overuse, this step up from McDonald's sends a clear message that business as usual will no longer be acceptable."

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McDonald's US says classic burgers no longer have artificial ingredients

WASHINGTON, United States -- McDonald's USA on Wednesday announced that its iconic burgers, including the Big Mac and the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, no longer have artificial preservatives, artificial flavors or added colors from artificial sources.

Only the pickle slices still contain an artificial preservative, the American fast food giant said, noting that "customers are able to skip it if they prefer."

The changes are going into effect in all 14,000 US restaurants, the company's statement said.

It's a big attempt for McDonald's -- oft vilified as a champion of junk food -- to attract or retain customers concerned about their diets.

"From switching to 100 percent fresh beef in our quarter-pound burgers, cooked right when ordered, to removing artificial preservatives in our Chicken McNuggets, and committing to cage-free eggs by 2025, we have made significant strides in evolving the quality of our food," said Chris Kempczinski, the company's USA president.

As of now, almost two-thirds of the company's burgers and sandwiches are free of artificial products, which were removed from the company's cheese slices, Big Mac special sauce and several types of buns.

The move is a response to a growing trend of health-consciousness in the United States, particularly attuned to organic products as well as increased concern for product origin and quality.

It's also a way to meet competition from trendy burgers like Five Guys, which emphasizes freshness, or more traditional beef patties like Wendy's, which boasts the slogan "always fresh, never frozen."

Such moves are not easy to implement in the United States, where McDonald's is generally one of few restaurants accessible to lower-class populations, with price factor often taking precedence over quality.

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EU investigates Ikea's Dutch tax deals

BRUSSELS - The EU on Monday opened an in-depth investigation into Swedish furniture giant Ikea's tax deals in the Netherlands, in the latest salvo by Brussels against the tax affairs of multinationals.

With the probe, the European Commission is taking a close look at the ways Ikea allegedly used a Dutch subsidiary to slash its tax bill on revenue from megastores around the world.

The case is the most ambitious one yet by Brussels against a multinational from Europe, and follows similar cases against US heavyweights Apple, Amazon and McDonald's.

They all come amid a wave of revelations such as the "Paradise Papers" and "LuxLeaks" that have turned the spotlight on how multinationals and the world's super rich use legal means to avoid paying tax.

"All companies, big or small, multinational or not, should pay their fair share of tax," the EU's anti-trust commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

"Member states cannot let selected companies pay less tax by allowing them to artificially shift their profits elsewhere," she said.

The commission put no figure on its latest allegations against Ikea, but a report by the Green party in European Parliament last year said Ikea avoided one billion euros ($1.2 billion) in EU taxes between 2009 to 2014.

Privately held since its creation in 1943, the Ikea group has a complex corporate structure and is run by various foundations that has allowed it to stay clear of Sweden's high taxes.

'BIGGEST TAX HAVENS'

The commission's probe concerns 2 tax agreements brokered between the Netherlands and Inter Ikea, a Dutch-based unit of the retail giant that receives franchise fees from Ikea shops worldwide.

In the first tax ruling, between 2006 and 2011, Inter Ikea was allowed by the Netherlands to pay a hefty license fee to another Ikea unit in Luxembourg, thereby shifting revenue to a jurisdiction where it remained untaxed.

In 2011, after Brussels forced a law change in Luxembourg, Inter Ikea arranged a second ruling with the Netherlands, this time involving a complex loan arrangement with an Ikea unit in Liechtenstein, and again the Swedish company successfully shifted taxable revenue to a low tax jurisdiction.

"The Netherlands fully supports the Commission's work," said a senior Dutch EU official, adding that the government would have to look at the details of the case.

The move against Ikea came at the urging of the Greens party in European Parliament which mounted a major campaign to put the spotlight on Ikea.

"This is a huge success for the Greens as it comes from our initial complaint. Europe works," MEP Sven Giegold told AFP.

"It is shocking that the Netherlands, a founding member of the EU, is one of the biggest tax havens in the world," he said.

'BRING CLARITY'

Ikea in a statement insisted that its tax deals in the Netherlands did not breach EU laws.

"It is good if the investigation can bring clarity and confirm that," the company added.

Many of the Brussels probes came in the wake of the "LuxLeaks" scandal which revealed details of tax breaks given by the wealthy duchy to dozens of major US firms.

The revelations came as a particular embarrassment for European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who was prime minister of Luxembourg at the time when the tax deals were made.

In a similar Dutch case, the EU decided against coffee-shop chain Starbucks in the Netherlands and ordered the latte and espresso-maker to pay roughly 30 million euros in back taxes.

In accordance with Vestager's blockbuster 2015 decision against Apple, Ireland said earlier this month it would begin collecting the 13 billion euros in back taxes owed by the US-based iPhone-maker.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

KFC says it's bird flu-free

MANILA - KFC Philippines said Wednesday its products were unaffected by the bird flu outbreak in Pampanga province.

Rival restaurant operators Jollibee, McDonald's, Max's Group and poultry producers San Miguel Purefoods and Bounty Agro Ventures have made similar assurances to consumers.


"KFC Philippines would like to assure our loyal patrons that our famous line of fried chicken products are neither affected nor threatened by present concerns over avian flu," the company said in a statement.

All tests on KFC Philippines' chicken have turned out negative for the virus, it said.

The government has moved to contain the spread of the virus from the farming town of San Luis, north of the capital, where some 200,000 chickens were slaughtered.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

McDonald's riles cardinals with branch near Vatican

ROME - McDonald's is dishing up "hallowed" hamburgers after the Vatican backed it in a fight with cardinals over a new outlet at the foot of the tiny city state in Rome.

Big Macs were being scoffed with glee Tuesday at the US fast food giant a stone's throw from Saint Peter's Square.

Cardinals had warned the Vatican against supping with that symbol of Western consumerism, including a group of the red-hatted "Princes of the Church" who live above the Vatican-owned site.

One even wrote to the pope slamming a commercial decision which is reportedly to bring 30,000 euros ($33,000) a month into the Vatican's coffers, but which locals fear will ruin a historical area.

Their protests fell on deaf ears and the new McDonald's branch opened Friday after the site, which covers 538 square metres (5,800 square foot), was rented to the restaurant chain by ASPA, the authority in charge of the Vatican's real estate.

While it lies outside the Holy See's walls, those popping in for a burger and chips have a good view of the papal apartment windows.

It's a panorama Angelo Tosti used to show off to tourists at his restaurant "Da Marcella", which has been in his family for three generations -- and now sits directly across the street from the fast food behemoth.

"What amazes me most is that the pope rises up against the multinationals, and then they give a Vatican property for rent" to McDonald's, Tosti said sadly. "It will ruin the whole area".

'ENOUGH TRADITIONAL RESTAURANTS'

Pope Francis has criticized multinationals in the past for food waste, poor nutrition and financial speculation. Others had argued that the space near the heart of the Roman Catholic Church should go to entities which help the needy, not the Golden Arches.

"When you come to Rome you should eat Roman food," Tosti told AFP, showing off a menu with specialities of the capital, from Carbonara to fried artichokes.

Fellow critics had decried as madness a move to pack more people into an area considered at high risk of a terror attack.

But not all were turning their backs on a "Big Vac" calorie fest after a lengthy trek around the Sistine Chapel and museums.

"It's next to the monuments, the service is fast and it's more convenient," said one young Australian tourist named Brooke.

And it got the seal of approval from passing Italian nun Sister Francesca, who said there were "enough traditional restaurants in the area" to satisfy pasta-happy gourmands.

It is not McDonald's first run-in over a branch location in Italy.

It made headlines in November after filing a $20-million lawsuit against Florence for blocking a proposed outlet in the city's most revered square.

The chain wanted to open a branch in the historic Piazza del Duomo, one of the most visited places in Europe.

Florence's center-left mayor Dario Nardella said while McDonald's "has the right to submit an application... we also have the right to say no".

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Big Mac inventor dies at age 98

CHICAGO - The man who invented the quintessential American fast-food burger, the Big Mac, and inadvertently set off a race to create ever more expansive fast-food menus, has died.

Michael "Jim" Delligatti passed away Monday surrounded by family at his home in a Pittsburgh suburb, according to his family. He was 98 years old.

Delligatti laid claim to one of the most indelible inventions in American cuisine since sliced bread -- a double hamburger with two beef patties, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions, which is covered in a special sauce.

As owner of a McDonald's restaurant in western Pennsylvania nearly half a century ago, Delligatti convinced the company to venture away from its brief menu of simple burgers, fries and drinks, according to a 1993 profile of the Big Mac in the Los Angeles Times.

He got permission to try his new burger in 1967 and sales jumped 12 percent, the Times said. Within a few years, McDonald's was advertising the Big Mac nationwide.

"This wasn't like discovering the light bulb," he said. "The bulb was already there. All I did was screw it in the socket."

He said the idea came from rival burger restaurants in the mid-1960s.

After the Big Mac's invention, the company expanded its menu further, creating an age of new menu items such as the Egg McMuffin and Filet-o-Fish.

But, it was the Big Mac that became a cultural icon.

In a statement, McDonald's said Delligatti was a "legendary franchisee" who made a "lasting impression" on the company.

"We will remember Jim as an insightful franchisee, a knowledgeable businessman," the company said.

McDonald's says it sells hundreds of millions of the oversized burgers globally, although sales have slowed in recent years as millennials reportedly show less interest in super-sized fast food.

According to Delligatti's family he went on to own 48 McDonald's restaurants.

He is survived by his wife Ellie, two children, and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

McDonald's offers fries with chocolate dip

Remember how some of us like our french fries with ketchup, and a hint of that chocolate sundae on the side?

Inspired by the peculiar eating habit of customers in Japan, fast food chain McDonald's is offering its customers not one, but two dipping sauces: chocolate and white milk chocolate!

Beginning January 26, McDonald's fans in Japan can enjoy a wonderful salty and sweet harmonious taste.

This is the latest spin on fries in the Land of the Rising Sun after its chains offered "Shaka Shaka Potato" fries, which were covered with cheese sauce or bacon.

So far, reaction to the chocolate fries on social media has been mixed. But those who love it say they are ready to move to Japan to get their hands on the Mc-choco potato.

- ANC, Market Edge, January 20, 2016

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

McDonald’s introduces 2015 holiday desserts

MANILA – McDonald’s Philippines is getting into the Christmas spirit as it recently launched its holiday desserts for 2015.

The fast food chain is now offering the Kit Kat McFlurry with Choco Bits (P50), or soft serve ice cream drizzled with chocolate vanilla bits; Kit Kat McFlurry with Caramel Crispies (P50), which is topped with rich caramel sauce; Hazelnut Brownie Sundae (P32), which has a swirl of hazelnut brownie sauce; the Peanut Butter McDip (P15), or vanilla soft serve coated with peanut butter dip; and McCafe Coffee Float, which is topped with ice cream and chocolate syrup.

Aside from the holiday desserts, McDonald’s also introduced its limited edition 2015 Coca-Cola glasses, which come in six designs.

The glasses are date-stamped, representing Coca-Cola’s look during the following years – 1899, 1916, 1955, 1961, 1994 and 2015.

Each glass is priced at P29 with every value meal at McDonald’s.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

McDonald's to use only cage-free eggs by 2025

McDonald's Corp's 16,000 U.S. and Canadian restaurants will serve only eggs laid by cage-free chickens within 10 years, the company said on Wednesday.

McDonald's USA has been buying more than 13 million cage-free eggs annually since 2011. The long-awaited switch is happening as North American egg suppliers are slowly starting to rebuild flocks after the worst bird flu outbreak in U.S. history.

The move comes as McDonald's, the world's biggest restaurant chain, is preparing to serve breakfast all day at U.S. outlets in October. McDonald's USA, which is fighting sagging sales, made waves in March by announcing a two-year plan to phase out meat from chickens raised with antibiotics used to fight human infections.

McDonald's buys about 2 billion eggs annually for its U.S. restaurants and 120 million for Canada to serve breakfast items such as Egg McMuffin and Egg White Delight.

Fast-food rival Burger King already has committed to using only cage-free eggs by 2017. Other large companies such as Starbucks Corp, General Mills Inc, Nestle, Sodexo Inc and Aramark also are in the process of switching.

Groups such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Mercy for Animals and World Animal Protection have successfully lobbied many companies to adopt animal welfare practices. Such groups also have won commitments from nearly 100 major companies to phase out so-called gestation crates, which are small cages for breeding sows.

Celebrities such as film star Ryan Gosling have teamed up with HSUS to pressure Costco Wholesale Corp to eliminate cage-confined chickens from the company's egg supply chain. HSUS said Costco has committed to going cage free, but has not set a timeline for its full transition. HSUS said Costco rival Wal-Mart Stores Inc also has not set a timeline.

U.S. companies, led by burrito seller Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc and other popular brands, increasingly are sourcing their ingredients from suppliers who vow to use humane and environmentally sustainable agricultural practices.

California voters in 2008 passed a law mandating that all eggs sold in the state come from chickens given more spacious living quarters. That law went into effect on Jan. 1 and other states and countries since have followed Calfornia's lead.

So far this year, the price of a dozen eggs has averaged 67 cents more in California than in the Midwest, said Brian Moscogiuri, market reporter for shell eggs and egg products at Urner Barry.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Burger King proposes 'McWhopper' for Peace Day

It's a burger lover's dream combo.

Burger King is proposing a new product called a WcWhopper that will be developed with rival McDonald's to promote peace day on September 21.

McDonald's chief executive officer Steve Easterbrook responded to Burger King's proposal through Facebook.


He did not reject the McWhopper idea outright but he did not accept it either. Easterbrook said only McDonald's would commit to raise awarness for peace.

Easterbrook also took a jab at Burger King for comparing their "friendly business competition" to the "real pain and suffering of war."

He also suggested Burger King should have called him first. -- ANC Alerts, August 27, 2015

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Fast food chain offers Minions-themed desserts, toys

MANILA – Fast food chain McDonald's is giving Minions fans a treat by offering toys and food items based on these adorable yellow creatures.

Starting today, June 26, McDonald’s is holding a “Minions Banana Festival” to promote the Philippine screening of the “Minions” movie this July.

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Minions toys

To those who were not able to get pre-order stubs last week, the Minions toys are now available in McDonald’s Happy Meal offerings.

There are ten toys, each taking on a different character (from a caveman to a vampire) and having different features (from marching to singing).

Minions-themed desserts

McDonald’s goes yellow starting this Friday as it offers food items inspired by the Minions and their love for bananas.

There is the Honey Banana McFloat, a banana and honey-flavored drink topped with vanilla soft-serve; Banana McFlurry with Oreo, or banana-flavored ice cream with Oreo bits; Banana Crumble McFlurry, which has crushed graham and banana flavoring; and Minions Banana McDip, or vanilla soft-serve covered in banana-flavored dip on a blue wafer cone.

The items can also be ordered as combos which include fries in Minions-designed packaging.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com