• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, December 3, 2014

In the latest manifestation of its revitalization plan, McDonald's USA has officially rolled out whole, fresh fruit as both a side option with Happy Meals and an à la carte offering for kids and adults.

The initiative is being launched with Cuties California clementines. The kid-sized mandarin oranges from Sun Pacific proved a hit with kids when they were tested in about 70 McDonald's locations around Austin, Texas earlier this year, according to the QSR. They will be available in units across the country until March, when their peak season ends. 

The fruit can be ordered as an alternative to existing Happy Meal sides. Those include apple slices (more than 1.2 billion orders have been served since these became a de facto side with Happy Meals in March 2012) and Go-Gurt low fat strawberry yogurt (50 million tubes have been served since this was introduced as an option this past July). 

In the test, à la carte clementines were priced at 50 cents apiece.

McDonald's confirmed that as part of its larger menu strategy to continue offering fresh fruit options, it is currently testing smaller-sized “junior” bananas, which could be added to the menu as early as next year. 

The QSR is also continuing to explore more lowfat dairy sides for Happy Meals, SVP of menu innovation Greg Watson said in the announcement of the clementines' rollout.

The new fresh fruit option also supports McDonald’s' efforts to respond to growing concerns about health and obesity, including its partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, the nonprofit founded by the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation to increase families' nutrition knowledge and access to healthy food choices.

"This is part of the journey we started four years ago to make Mom feel better about Happy Meals," Watson told USA Today in an August article previewing the whole-fruit initiative. He also reported that blueberries and grapes, which have had some success in Europe, are being considered as possible future sides for U.S. Happy Meals.

In its earnings report for its fiscal third-quarter ended September 30, McDonald's shared its strategy for reversing its declining performance, including a global comp-store decline of 3.3% and a profit drop of 30% during that quarter, and a 1% decline in global revenue during the fiscal year's first nine months. 

In October, McDonald's changed its USA president for the second time in two years, and stressed the challenges of intense competition and financially challenged consumers as it reported its twelfth straight month of negative U.S. comp-store sales (-1%), a historic first for the chain.

The new strategic plan, dubbed "McDonald's Experience of the Future," revolves around "getting closer to the customer" by improving the "look, feel and convenience" of eating in the chain's restaurants. 

That includes a simplified menu that allows for offering customizable and fresh, local options, as well as a revamped national marketing approach that stresses food quality and brand transparency (along with local ad campaigns promoting individual market preferences).

 “Today’s consumers increasingly prefer customizable food options, dining in a contemporary, inviting atmosphere and using more convenient ways to order and pay for their meals,” McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson summed up in reporting October results.