Why Did McDonald's Stop Selling Salads?

The McDonald's menu has boasted many different offerings throughout the years, from the crispy Chicken Selects to the much-loved Snack Wraps, both of which have long since been discontinued. While some, like the meaty McRib, regularly return, others haven't been as lucky. A recent example of this is McDonald's salads, a surprisingly popular menu item that was discontinued in 2020. 

Salads were added to the McDonald's menu in 1987 as a way of offering something healthier to consumers, though they never were quite as popular as the brand's burgers and chicken nuggets. Nevertheless, McDonald's stuck by its salads, even offering premium options and its McSalad Shakers in an attempt to drive sales. Unfortunately, McDonald's salads hit another road bump in 2018 when nearly 400 people became sick from a cyclospora infection after consuming McDonald's salads. The cases were linked to contaminated salad mixes from Fresh Express. Although McDonald's switched suppliers, the incident did little to increase the popularity of their salads. 

Ultimately, the nail in the McDonald's salad coffin came in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic created vast labor shortages that impacted both the restaurants and its suppliers. To hold things together, McDonald's opted to cut many less popular items from its menu, including salads. The goal was to simplify things and streamline in-house operations. While the move worked during the pandemic, fans of the salads have been left high and dry since then.

Despite McDonald's officially discontinuing its salads in 2020, it did give franchisees the ability to add the Southwest Style Salad and Chicken Caesar Salads back to menus in 2022. Unfortunately for salad fans, not many locations took up the offer. 

Moreover, Food & Wine reported on an interview between Joe Erlinger, the president of McDonald's USA, and Kate Linebaugh, a journalist from The Wall Street Journal. Speaking to Linebaugh at the WSJ Global Food Forum, Erlinger stated when asked about the return of salads, "(...) if people really want salads from McDonald's, we will gladly relaunch salads. But, what our experience has proven is that's not what the consumer is looking for from McDonald's." Erlinger went on to clarify what customers want most, saying, "They're looking for great french fries, they're looking for a $5 meal deal, they're looking for a hot, fresh sandwich, and so that's what we're going to continue to provide them."

So basically, while there are people who want salads to return to the McDonald's menu, they are a rather small minority, which does make sense, seeing as salads were never a massive success, especially when compared to things like the Double Cheeseburger and McDouble. That said, while salads remain absent from American McDonald's menus, they are still available internationally in places like France, Great Britain, Ireland, and Japan. 

While it's a bit sad that salads may never return to McDonald's in the United States, it's just one more reason to learn how to make your own at home. Fortunately, there is no shortage of salad prep tips to make putting together a delicious salad easier than ever. Toss in some of Ina Garten's lemon vinaigrette, and you might just begin to miss McDonald's salads a little less.