Would You Like Fries With Those Spicy Pork McBites?
November 15, 2013 Leave a comment
NOVEMBER 14, 2013, 6:38 PM
Would You Like Fries With Those Spicy Pork McBites?
By AMY QIN
With competition heating up in China’s $174 billion dollar fast-food market, McDonald’s is seeking to up its game by capitalizing on the country’s increasingly voracious appetite for pigs. The result? Spicy Pork McBites.The new breaded and fried pork nuggets, or 脆辣猪猪球 (literally, “crispy spicy piggy balls” in Chinese), were unveiled this month and can be purchased in two sizes: a small box of 14 for 9.50 renminbi, or about $1.50; or a large box of about 55 McBites for 29 renminbi. A variation on the Chicken McNuggets, McDonalds’ latest offering is part of its global strategy to tailor its menu to regional tastes to better compete with local chains, such as the popular Taiwanese-owned, fried chicken chain Dicos. Walk into one of the more than 1,700 McDonald’s outlets in China and you can find chicken and beef rice wraps, taro pies, tapioca bubble tea, and now, Spicy Pork McBites sold alongside the Big Mac.
The introduction of pork-based nuggets in China is not a surprising move by the United States-based fast-food giant.
China is now the world’s leading pork consumer. Per capita pork consumption is growing, with the average citizen consuming more than 80 pounds per year. The Chinese demand for pork has made finding a reliable supply a national priority, a concern that led to the $4.7 billion purchase in September of Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork processor, by the Chinese company Shuanghui International.
While it remains to be seen whether the new McDonald’s pork offering is a hit among Chinese consumers, it is unlikely that the McBites – which are comparable in texture and seasoning to the popular Sichuan spicy popcorn chicken dish laziji, but without the bones – will help solve what is shaping up to be a growing public health crisis. China has the world’s greatest number of people with diabetes, according to a recent study. It is a problem that experts have attributed in part to rising rates of obesity and, indirectly, the growing popularity of Western-style, high-caloric diets and fast food.
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