restaurant in droves to eat out at rivals such as Chipotle Mexican Grill. The number of 19-to-21-year-olds visiting McDonald’s once a month has fallen by 13% since 2011, according to food analysts Technomic, while the number of 22-to-37-year- olds visiting has not grown. To add to the company’s problems, McDonald’s hamburgers were recently named the worst in America in a poll of more than 32,000 American diners, who said they would rather eat a burger at Five Guys, Smashburger or Fuddruckers. Fast-growing US-only chain Chick-fil-A was considered to be best for chicken. McDonald’s is also widely perceived as less healthy than most of its rivals, especially Chipotle, which trumpets its antibiotic-free meat and “locally sourced, seasonal produce” – although 'local' for Chipotle can mean 350 miles away. The depth of consumer mistrust of McDonald’s was exposed by a consumer outreach exercise the company launched in the US in October. “Have you ever used pink slime in your burgers?” was one question on the Our Food Your Questions website – referring to the controversial beef filler (gristle and fat) used for dog food that is sprayed with ammonia to make it “fit” for human consumption. The meat product, banned in Europe since the BSE crisis, was dropped by McDonald’s in 2012. But pink slime has left doubts in US consumers’ minds. “Does McDonald’s