McDonald's drops lamb burgers after slow NZ sales
In August it became the first of McDonald's Corp's units to add lamb to its permanent menu at 160 restaurants after two years of product development.
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McDonald's Restaurants New Zealand, the local arm of the world's largest fast food chain, has pulled lamb products from its permanent menu after sluggish sales.
In August it became the first of McDonald's Corp's units to add lamb to its permanent menu at 160 restaurants after two years of product development.
It reduced the size and price of its initial lamb burger in January in response to customer demand and took lamb off the permanent menu last month, spokeswoman Kim Bartlett says in a statement.
Federated Farmers is saddened by the move but understands the commercial reality after local sales "tailed off", meat and fibre spokeswoman Jeanette Maxwell says. Rival companies Burger Fuel and Burger Wisconsin feature lamb on permanent menus and Subway had also used the product.
Burger Fuel is expanding in the Middle East, where lamb is a favoured meat protein, and the farmer lobby group hopes McDonald's, which bought 210 tonnes of lamb last year, may export the meat to its units around the world in the future, Ms Maxwell says.
New Zealand lamb exports fell 11 percent to $2.3 billion in 2012 from 2011, even as the volume sold jumped 9 percent, according to the latest report from the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Lamb may make a "cameo appearance" at McDonald's in the future in the same way the company had offered a Moroccan lamb burger and a lamb snack wrap for a limited time, Ms Bartlett says.
(BusinessDesk)
Tina Morrison
Wed, 11 Jul 2018
Wed, 11 Jul 2018
© All content copyright NBR. Do not reproduce in any form without permission, even if you have a paid subscription.
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McDonald's drops lamb burgers after slow NZ sales
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