McDonald's adds new Snack Wrap

McDonald's has added to their 'snack wrap' line with the new Honey Mustard Snack Wrap. In addition to the new flavor, McDonald's portable wraps are now available in both grilled and crispy choices.

The new Honey Mustard Snack Wrap, made with either grilled or crispy, chicken breast meat, cheddar jack cheese, crisp lettuce and a sweet and tangy Honey Mustard sauce, wrapped inside a soft flour tortilla, will be offered for a promotional period at $1.29 at participating McDonald's restaurants nationwide.

"Offering our customers a variety of great tasting, top quality food choices at a value is always a key priority for McDonald's," said Don Thompson, President, McDonald's USA. "As the eating habits of people change and snacking becomes a way of life for many consumers, McDonald's is committed to offering our customers more portable, high quality food options that fit their needs."

The new Honey Mustard Snack Wrap has 320 calories, 15 grams of fat, 4.5 grams saturated fat, 1 gram trans fat, 30 grams cholesterol, 750 mg sodium, 34 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, and 14 grams protein.

And there it is, more trans fat. You'd think McDonald's would at least eliminate trans fat from the NEW items! A look at the ingredients list for the chicken used in the wrap reveals the trans fat culprits: hydrogenated soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, and partially hydrogenated corn oil with TBHQ.

Some McDonald's go trans fat free

McDonald's has selected a new trans-fat-free oil for their french fries, but they're not saying where it is being used. The new oil is being used in 1,200 undisclosed restaurants of their 13,700 total restaurants.

For McDonald's it's always about mitigating potential liability (with healthy food offerings that no one eats and by promoting a 'healthy lifestyle' that everyone ignores...people don't eat at McDonald's for their health) and putting a healthy PR spin on their operations (by hiring 'professionals' like personal trainer Bob Greene and Dr. Dean Ornish to legitimize their 'healthy image'). Their refusal to reveal where the new trans-fat-free oil is already being used is part of this mindset. They get the positive PR of eliminating trans-fat from (some of) their fries without having to offer full disclosure and risk groups and/or individuals complaining that a given McDonald's doesn't offer the healthier fries.

Not to mention the fact that I'm sure McDonald's has thousands of gallons of the old trans-fat-rich oil that they want to be sure they use up before they move on to something that's better for your health...after all, their bottom line always comes first.

Contaminated food claim against Wendy's

There's been another contaminated food claim against Wendy's. It's been two years since the national media event over the false claim of a California woman that she'd found a finger in her Chili at Wendy's. This time the claim is over finding human blood at the bottom of a Wendy's frosty (aka chocolate shake).

Nashville, Tennessee resident William Hoover has filed suit against Wendy's franchisee Bridgeman Foods after allegedly finding human blood at the bottom of his Frosty. "After consuming most of the Frosty, Hoover noticed a red substance on the end of the straw," the lawsuit claims. It also says the substance "was tested and was revealed to be human blood."

more at the Nashville Post.

McDonald's may unload Boston Market

McDonald's has announced that it is reviewing its strategic options for Boston Market, the fast-casual chain it acquired 7 years ago.

Mike Andres, CEO of Golden, Colo.-based Boston Market, said at the company's annual meeting of all employees Thursday that McDonald's is looking at its options involving ownership of the chain.

And from McDonald's: "We are beginning to look at potential options and will explore our alternatives during 2007," McDonald's spokesman Walt Riker said in an e-mailed statement. "No decisions have been made whatsoever and therefore it is absolutely inappropriate to speculate."

Boston Market, originally Boston Chicken, has 620 restaurants in 28 states. McDonald's acquired it in 2000 for $173.5 million.

BK sells 2 million xbox games

Burger King has sold more than 2 million BK Xbox games in just four weeks. The BK games join the ranks of other top Xbox games such as "Call of Duty 3" and "Saint's Row," which makes it the best-selling collection of games sold for the Xbox this holiday season.

BK is selling three Xbox games in the collection: Pocketbike Racer, "Big Bumpin" and "Sneak King." They are available at Burger King restaurants for $3.99 per game with the purchase of a BK value meal.

"Most video games are considered a blockbuster when they reach the 1 million mark in sales," said Russ Klein, president of global marketing, strategy and innovation for Burger King. "This collection has achieved twice that, thanks in part to the great value for the money and convenient holiday stocking stuffer appeal," he said.

More info on the BK games can be found at bkgamer.com.