Seeing Little Desire for Salads, McDonald's to Push More Meat

A Big Mac and a greasy pile of fries will never equate to a healthy meal, but that does not seem to be a reason for McDonald's CEO Don Thompson to stop selling more of them.

The chief executive of the world's largest restaurant chain said Thursday at the a business conference in New York that salads only take up two to three percent of his U.S. restaurant sales.

"I don't see salads as being a major growth driver in the near future," he said, according to multiple news outlets.

McDonald's Dollar Menu, which includes a double cheese burger and a fried chicken sandwich, takes up 13 percent to 14 percent of sales, Thompson said, according to Bloomberg news.

Instead of advertising salads, Thompson said the fast food chain may start to push more hamburgers and chicken sandwiches, adding that McDonald's could increase its sale of vegetables by selling more McWraps, which include slices of tomato and cucumber and shredded lettuce.

The news comes at a time when many Americans are attempting to live healthier lifestyles and there is a growing movement to reduce or completely eliminate meat from the diet.

Thompson, who revealed to the conference that a return to exercise let him shed 20 pounds last year, said he eats McDonald's "every, single day."

Though it may seem contradictory to McDonald's calorie-intense image, Thompson recently told a nine-year-old girl that his fast food company doesn't' sell junk food.

Hannah Robertson, the daughter of a nutrition activist and blogger, accused the company of "tricking kids into wanting to eat your food all the time," the Telegraph reported.

At the company's headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., Thompson responded, "We don't sell junk food, Hannah."