| schema:text
| - In 2014, former McDonald's CEO Don Thompson claimed the company tested bubble gum flavored broccoli, according to a report by Business Insider, but that the item didn't test well with kids.
The only available evidence that McDonald's created bubble gum flavored broccoli is comments from the former CEO, as reported by a media outlet. We have not yet found video or audio of the comments in question and have not got confirmation from McDonald's that this product was genuinely created and tested.
Since at least 2014, a claim has been circulating online that the fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's once created bubble gum flavored broccoli in an effort to help kids eat more vegetables.
The rumor has been the topic of many Reddit threads throughout the years, always setting off a flurry of comments that range from shock and disgust to curiosity and wonder.
(dryersheetz on Reddit)
One Reddit user joked: "All I heard is McDonald's tried to play God and lost." Another pointed out: "I would be confused and disgusted too if I had to eat something that tasted like bubblegum with the texture of a broccoli. Texture is often just as important as the flavor and forgetting that will result in some 'interesting' experience."
Somebody else said: "That is the most Willy Wonka thing I have ever heard," while one enthusiast simply stated: "That actually sounds fire."
The claim originated from a 2014 appearance by then-McDonald's CEO Don Thompson at an event held by the capital investment firm Andreessen Horowitz. As reported by Business Insider, Thompson was asked by a guest what actions McDonald's was taking to help kids eat more healthily. According to the publication, Thompson then explained an attempt by the company to create bubble gum flavored broccoli but that "kids were confused by the taste." Thompson reportedly added: "It wasn't all that."
Snopes could not find any audio or video evidence of this event, and McDonald's has not yet responded to our inquiries about the rumor of testing bubble gum flavored broccoli. For this reason, the claim requires further research before reaching any definitive rating. However, Business Insider did report that Thompson said it was tested. We will update this article if McDonald's provides us with a confirmation.
CBS News also reported on this claim at the time, citing Business Insider, and added a boilerplate statement reportedly given to them by McDonald's: "We're always looking at new food innovations and recipes that will appeal to our customers."
Shortly after he made these comments, Thompson was removed as CEO of McDonald's following five quarters of declining sales in the U.S., according to Fortune.
Snopes has covered various claims about McDonald's food in the past, including whether their hamburgers are made from 100% beef, if their shakes contain nonfood ingredients and rumors that a man sued the chain because the Happy Meal did not make him happy.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)