McDonald’s Once Tried to Make This Taste Like Bubble Gum

Yes, McDonald’s once tried to make broccoli taste like bubble gum—and it didn’t go well.

This unusual experiment was part of an initiative by McDonald’s to create healthier menu options that would appeal to children. In an effort to encourage kids to eat more vegetables, the company’s food scientists developed bubble gum-flavoured broccoli.

However, the attempt backfired. Children were understandably confused by the taste, and the mismatch between the expected savoury flavour of broccoli and the sweet, artificial bubble gum taste made it unappetizing. Even former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson admitted during a 2014 Q&A session that it was a failure, saying: “It wasn’t all that.”

While the concept may have been well-intentioned, it serves as a cautionary tale about the limits of flavour engineering. In the end, McDonald’s shelved the idea, and the experiment never made it to restaurants.

It’s now remembered more as a strange footnote in the company’s long history of innovation attempts.

Source: Some or all of the content was generated using an AI language model