McDonald’s is an empire built on delivering consistent, affordable food on a massive scale. One of their flagship products, the Chicken McNugget, epitomizes this ethos – it’s a seemingly simple concoction that the world has embraced, with their chicken-based product sales (incl. McNugget) now on par with McDonald’s iconic beef burgers at around $25 billion annually.
But what if we could reimagine the McNugget filling to be healthier and more nutritious while maintaining the cost efficiencies that make it so ubiquitous?
The challenge lies in cracking the code on an ingredient solution that checks three critical boxes, which I dub as the tenets of the McNuggets Principle:
- Affordability: Any new filling must match or beat the current low costs to ensure McDonald’s can maintain its value pricing.
- Logistics: The ingredient(s) must be easy to procure, transport, store, and process on a global scale across McDonald’s massive supply chain.
- Functionality: The end product must closely mimic the taste, texture, and cooking properties of the existing McNugget filling.
If we can develop an ingredient solution that satisfies these criteria, it could unlock a paradigm shift – McDonald’s could offer a healthier, cleaner, and more nutritious nugget without compromising on price or operational complexity.
The key may lie in exploring novel plant-based or alternative protein sources that are inexpensive, shelf-stable, and easily processed into a nugget-like filling. Perhaps it’s a innovative fiber or protein extraction from an overlooked crop byproduct. Or maybe it’s a new form of texturized mycoprotein (fungi-derived) that can be molded into the perfect nugget-shaped bite.
While the McNugget’s existing ultra-processed nature might seem like a limitation, it’s actually an opportunity – even modest nutritional improvements through cleaner ingredients could have an outsized positive impact given the sheer scale of consumption.
At its core, this is about applying first principles thinking to disrupt a ubiquitous, seemingly impossible-to-change product. If we can nail the cost, logistics, and functionality variables through novel ingredients, the co-benefits of improved nutrition and sustainability could be a game-changer for McDonald’s and the fast food industry.
Nothing is impossible when we reframe constraints as variables to solve for. It’s an exciting challenge to crack the code on a healthier, planet-friendlier McNugget that’s as craveable and affordable as the original.
The core takeaway should be that Big Food doesn’t shy away from ultra-processed, if anything, they pioneer this category, but the current approach to alternative ingredients/proteins in the space tends to get pushback for being GMO or ultra-processed, which rightly so is true, but that’s just a facade to shift blame or stagnate on changing to a more sustainable or healthier option.
McDonald’s consumers aren’t concerned about the ultra-processed nature, therefore if can match the three tenets of the McNugget’s Principle, then layer in any nutritional benefits, millions of lives would be better off (bonus if the environmental footprint for the same sales targets is also improved). Co-benefits for human and planetary health (and possibly animal welfare).
McNugget Mania Fun Facts:
- McNuggets are a global phenomenon. McDonald’s sells an estimated 10 billion McNuggets every year, that’s enough to circle the Earth over 180 times!
- The iconic McNugget shape was designed by a food scientist in the 1960s to maximize taste and uniformity during cooking.
- McNuggets were originally only available in chicken flavor, but today they come in a variety of options around the world.
