How McDonald's completely changed the way Americans eat apples

REUTERS/Brian Snyder

One of the most important players in the modern apple industry is the biggest fast-food chain in the world.

Apple consumption has grown 13% in the US since 2010, reports Roberto A. Ferdman in the Washington Post. One major reason: McDonald's key role in the recent enormous rise of sliced apples in the last decade.

Since McDonald's introduced sliced apples to the menu in 2004, America's sliced apple consumption has more than tripled. The fast-food chain sells more than 10% of all sliced apples in the US, with its influence helping make sliced apples a common side everywhere from grocery stores to school lunches.

The impact of sliced apples is especially significant in contrast to the decades of stagnation in the apple industry. Americans are eating more apples than they have in almost a decade, reaching 17.4 pounds per capita. An estimated one in 20 of those apples are sliced — and that figure is only growing as more schools add sliced apples to their lunches.  

To read the full story about how sliced apples are reviving the fruit's sales in the US, plus McDonald's role in the apple business, check it out on the Washington Post.

NOW WATCH: This McDonald's meal is 6 years old — and looks completely fresh