McDonald's is making a major change to its most popular item
The fast-food giant announced on Monday that it is removing artificial preservatives from its Chicken McNuggets, the chain's most popular menu item, reports Bloomberg.
The chain is also cutting high-fructose corn syrup from its buns and removing preservatives from breakfast foods, including sausages and scrambled eggs.
The recipe revamp is part of a wider effort at McDonald's and the fast-food industry more broadly towards more natural ingredients. In the last year, the chain has tested fresh beef patties, promised to cut antibiotics from its chicken supply, and replaced margarine for butter in its breakfast sandwiches.
"A lot of people have assumptions about what McDonald's food is," McDonald's corporate chef Jessica Foust told Business Insider in July. "The industry in general is challenged because there's a stigma in general about what [quick-service restaurant] food is, and that is very very unfortunate. Personally, I don't think that helps people eat well."
Consumers are increasingly demanding food with less preservatives and artificial ingredients. Chains such as Papa John's, Panera, and Taco Bell have recently cut artificial ingredients from the menu.
With McDonald's McNuggets change, it seems that the trend towards all-natural - or at least more-natural - food isn't slowing down any time soon.