Cheese prices were high from May 2007 through the end of 2008. As a function of this prolonged period of high prices - which was not confined to dairy ingredients, many food companies were forced to reformulate to control costs. Pizzas and frozen convenience meals featured less cheese and ice cream containers and cereal boxes shrank.
One such reformulation that got a significant amount of press was McDonald's Double Cheeseburger. In December, McDonald's announced that the Double Cheeseburger, a very popular menu item, would be moving off the "Dollar Menu." In its stead, a new product dubbed the "McDouble," which features two beef patties and a single slice of American cheese, claimed the slot on the $1 menu.
But now things are taking a different turn, with the burger wars heating up along the lines of "our burger has more cheese..."
Burger King is expanding its $1 double cheeseburger offer, ratcheting up pressure in what's increasingly looking like a burger war, though possibly irritating its franchisees along the way.
Miami-based Burger King Corp. said it will begin a nationwide promotion for its $1 double cheeseburger beginning Oct. 19. Last month, Burger King cut the price on its double cheeseburger, which normally costs at least $2, to $1 in 40 markets, including Chicago.
That promotion has featured aggressive television ads belittling the size of Oak Brook-based McDonald Corp.'s double cheeseburger, which has a smaller meat patty and usually costs $1.19. Meanwhile, CKE Restaurants Inc. over the past five weeks has launched two burgers aimed squarely at taking on McDonald's Big Mac.
Is this the beginning of the un-doing of those reformulations?
