FISHERS, N.Y. — We’re lovin’ it.
New York apple growers today said that McDonald’s new plan to offer apples in every Happy Meal could lead to big gains for sales of New York-grown apples.
“If we can get them to serve as many apples as they do hamburgers, we’ll be all set,” said Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association.
Last month, McDonald’s announced plans to change its traditional Happy Meal through a new initiative called “Commitments to Offer Improved Nutrition Choices.”
Beginning in September, all Happy Meals will now include apple slices.
This means that when a mom or dad orders a Happy Meal for his or her child, they will automatically get a small pack (about ¼ cup) of apple slices with the meal. If the parent only wants fries, or only wants apple slices, they have to specify that option.
Until now, apple slices were only optional selections in Happy Meals.
Some industry estimates claim McDonald's sold about 220 million of the meals in the United States last year. Of those, around 24 million were likely sold with apple slices, based on the company’s statement that only 10 percent of Happy Meal sales saw customers requesting apples when it was optional.
The company has been sourcing apples from New York orchards since 2004, when it first introduced apple slices to its menu.
Traditional New York-grown apple varieties like Empire and Gala have been ideal for slicing, due to their high acidity, flavor and resistance to browning.
Allen said growers will be bracing for a rush of demand from McDonald’s this fall.
“Even without the new business from McDonald’s, consumer demand for our apples has been at record highs, so this will likely motivate growers to add even more trees and expand,” Allen said.
“This is big news for the industry and the rural economy,” he said.
Allen said McDonald’s move will also help secure new apple customers for the future.
“McDonald’s will give exposure to our fruit for a new generation of fans,” Allen said.
“McDonald’s reaches consumers that we never could on our own. Some kids are going to taste our apples for the very first time. We hope to get them excited and have them become lifelong customers,” Allen said.
McDonald’s will begin rolling out the new Happy Meal next month, with the goal of having them available in all 14,000 restaurants by early next year.
New York is the second biggest apple growing state in the U.S., with an estimated 30 million bushels expected to be harvested this fall off of 700 orchards.
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About the New York Apple Association:
Based in Fishers, N.Y., the NYAA is the nonprofit agricultural trade association representing the commercial apple growers in New York. It supports profitable growing and marketing of New York apples through increasing demand for apples and apple products; representing the industry at state and federal levels and serving as the primary information source on New York apple related matters.
Source: New York Apple Association
