McDonald's is cutting the Angus burger from its menu in the United States on the heels of rising beef prices.
McDonald's made the announcement Thursday, adding that it would also remove Chicken Selects and Fruit & Walnut Salad from its menu, according to the Associated Press.
The company had announced earlier this year that it was assessing whether to continue selling the Angus Third Pounders. It was first introduced in 2009 and is among the chain's more expensive menu options, retailing at around $4,49 in most markets.
McDonald's chose to cut Angus burgers in favor of lower-price Quarter Pounders might reflect quick-service restaurant consumers' price sensitivity.
The price of wholesale beef hit an all-time high Friday up at least 5 percent and showing no hint of slowing down anytime soon. On Friday, the wholesale price of a USDA cut of choice beef reached $201.68 per 100 pounds. The previous high, $201.18, was set in October 2003, according to NBC news.
Without giving too much information, McDonald's said that the Angus burgers "may still play a future role on our menu.'' It said it was removing the burgers and Angus snack wraps to "make room for new and exciting choices for our customers.'' The Angus burgers and snack wraps were still listed on the menu section of McDonald's website on Thursday.
McDonald's U.S. sales were down 1.2% in the first quarter due to what it called a "challenging eating out environment." This week it announced that April sales were up just 0.7% in the U.S.
Angus burgers remain popular at McDonald's in several overseas markets, In Australia, the chain recently removed most of its upscale "M Selections" menu but kept the Grand Angus and Mighty Angus burgers for now. In Argentina, the Angus Premium line is all double-patty burgers.
