For years (especially recently), fast food chains have responded to consumer demand for healthier options. While some have managed to introduce nourishing alternatives successfully, others have fallen short of the mark.
We’ll explore 10 examples of healthy fast food fails that didn’t quite deliver as expected.
10. McDonald’s McLean Deluxe:
Introduced in the early 1990s, this “healthier” option sought to reduce fat content by replacing part of the beef with water and seaweed extract. It had about 10-16 grams less fat than a standard Big Mac.
Despite a considerable marketing effort, customers were not pleased with the flavor, or lack thereof. The McLean Deluxe was discontinued due to poor sales and general consumer dissatisfaction.
9. Burger King Satisfries:
Burger King launched Satisfries in 2013 as a lower-calorie, lower-fat version of their standard fries. The crinkle-cut shape was different from their standard fry, and looked promising, but the taste didn’t live up to the hype.
With many consumers feeling they were a more expensive yet inferior-tasting product, the Satisfries were pulled from the menu in most locations after just one year.
8. McDonald’s Hula Burger:
In an attempt to offer a healthier alternative to their burgers, and to appeal to Catholics who couldn’t eat meat on Fridays, McDonald’s unveiled their meatless burger in the 1960’s.
It consisted of a grilled slice of pineapple, and cheese on a bun.
This option, was stacked up against the Filet-O-Fish which turned out to be a much more popular item at the time. The Hula Burger was pulled shortly after hitting the menu due to abysmal sales, and is now just a footnote in McDonald’s failed menu history.
7. Pizza Hut’s Skinny Slice:
Pizza Hut tried to reduce the guilt associated with eating pizza by offering a ‘Skinny Slice’ in 2014. The pizza had fewer calories because it was simply a thinner slice, not because it used healthier ingredients. Many customers felt this was misleading and that the taste and satisfaction were compromised.
6. Subway’s Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich:
While positively delicious and though it may sound like a healthy choice due to the lean protein and vegetables…when you add the sweet onion sauce, the sugar content skyrockets. This so-called ‘healthy’ sandwich ends up having more sugar than some candy bars.
5. Wendy’s Tomato Surprise:
Wendy’s Tomato Surprise graced menus for a period of 6 months in the mid-1980’s. It was simply a large tomato that was hollowed out, and filled with cottage cheese, then topped with a pineapple slice.
This healthy foray was a failure for Wendy’s from the get-go, and it was banished to the land of never-again – becoming a forgotten menu item that has escaped the collective memory of the fast food consumer population.
4. Starbucks’ Protein Bistro Box:
On the surface, this snack pack seems healthy with egg, fruits, cheese, and peanut butter. However, this protein-packed box also comes with a significant amount of sugar and saturated fat, largely negating its healthier aspects.
At the end of the day, you may as well go for that burger or shake, because you could actually do less damage to your sugar and calorie intake than you would if you ate this protein box.
2. Wendy’s Apple Pecan Chicken Salad:
It’s a salad, so it must be healthy, right? Not exactly. When you add dried cranberries, blue cheese, roasted pecans, and dressing, this ‘healthy’ salad ends up with more calories, fat, and sugar than some burgers.
1. McDonald’s McPlant:
McDonald’s tried their hand at a plant-based meatless option in 2021-22. They deemed it the McPlant, and started testing it in limited markets before expanding into California and Texas.
The McPlant featured a Beyond Meat patty, and otherwise contained the traditional ingredients of a Big Mac, except for cheese.
The patty was reportedly bland, and the PLT suffered low sales as a result. While it’s no longer available in the United States, the McPlant has done better overseas, and is still available in locations like Europe, Denmark, and Australia.
Healthy Failures
Fast food chains have tried just about everything under the sun to appeal to the health-conscious crowd, but these items prove that they can’t all be hits.
While chains are continually looking to offer ‘healthier’ options, it’s essential to understand what goes into these meals. Often, they are only marginally better than traditional fast food items or, in some cases, can even be worse due to high levels of sugar, sodium, or other unhealthy ingredients.
