McDonald's to introduce organic burger in Germany

The company, which seeks to attract customers more demanding of healthy alternatives to fast food, has said the hamburger - called the "McB" burger - will be available in Germany from Oct. 1 to Nov. 18. Holger Beeck, the head of McDonald's Germany, suggested it was a hint of things to come.

"We'd like to make it our goal to establish an organic line of food," Beeck told German news agency dpa. "But of course in the end it depends on whether or not the customers like it."

The American fast food chain's German branch has come up against stiff competition from home-grown burger chains offering organic alternatives that appeal more to young Germans. The company recently saw an increase in quarterly sales at established restaurants in Germany, but apparently wants to do more to draw in customers.

In order to be certified as "organic" in Germany, beef must must be produced from cattle raised under specific conditions: The cows must have only eaten organically grown feed and grazed on pastures free of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

"We have made a great effort to secure sufficient quantities of meat which satisified the organic requirements and our own quality claims," Beeck said, according to the Associated Press.

Germany is not the only country in which McDonald's has become concerned about the quality of its ingredients. Facing stiff competition from more healthy chains like Chipotle, the USA branch said in March that it would stop buying chickens raised with antibiotics.

blc/lw (Reuters, dpa)