As a result of the health craze sweeping the nation, fast food joints across the country are cleaning their menus out in attempt to pull their health-conscious customers back. McDonald’s is no exception. Salads and wraps are now featured items on their menu, but the stigma of unhealthy, fake food is still tightly clinging to McDonald’s, despite their exhaustive attempts to separate themselves from it. McDonald’s business is bleeding, with sales rapidly declining past the projected rates. The cause is obvious.

Americans are beginning to realize the horrors of processed foods, especially in fast food. More consumers want to know exactly what they’re putting in their mouths and are willing to pay the extra dollar for it. McDonald’s has long been one of the cheapest places to grab some grub, but more hungry consumers are headed to Chipotle and Panera Bread instead due to superior food quality and better service.

McDonald’s does deserve credit for its attempts to turn their business image around, but the consequences of years of poor service and questionable food has far-reaching consequences that a simple menu revision cannot fix. Overly greasy burgers and cold fries have forever stained the golden arches, and McDonald’s is going to have to add more than a few salads to their plan for change.

It is well past time for America to receive their health wake-up call, and many still have not received it. Overall, Americans are becoming more health-conscious, and McDonald’s is struggling to keep up. Their health reforms should have been instituted years ago, but their competition had already moved toward healthier menu choices and better quality food. McDonald’s is simply behind the times and only time will tell if their last-ditch efforts will bring any results.