Why are McNuggets (tm) so expensive in Canada?

Cafe Society
21

As far as I can tell, the ingredients aren’t significantly different between the US and Canada -

USA:
Chicken McNuggets® (10 piece):
White boneless chicken, water, food starch-modified, salt, seasoning [autolyzed yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (botanical source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid], sodium phosphates, natural flavor (botanical source). Battered and breaded with: water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, bleached wheat flour, food starch-modified, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, dextrose, corn starch.

CANADA:
Ingredients:
Chicken meat, water, modified corn starch, salt, chicken broth powder (chicken broth, salt and natural chicken flavouring), seasoning [(vegetable oil (soybean and/or canola), extracts of rosemary, mono,di and triglycerides (from sunflower oil) and soy lecithin)]. Breaded with: water, wheat flour, yellow corn flour, modified corn starch, salt, baking powder, spices (white and black pepper, celery seed), wheat starch, whey powder, sodium aluminum phosphate, corn starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil (manufacturing aid) and cooked in 100% vegetable shortening [Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (corn and/or soybean and/or canola oil), cottonseed oil, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, monogylceride citrate and propyl gallate added to protect flavour, propylene glycol.]

It must be the packaging, then - we use really expensive cardboard here.

22

The big difference is, in the US, they use white boneless chicken. In Canada, they use chicken meat. That’s what you’re paying for

23

The chicken and most of the rest of what’s in the nuggets is really corn. 56% corn, according to Michael Pollen’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Corn is massively subsidized in the US.

24

No. Our countries have differing requirements for reporting of ingredients. I’d be totally and utterly amazed if nuggets were different between our shared boarders.

You think McDonalds wouldn’t have figured this out by now?

Am I being whooshed?

25

I remember seeing some sort of pet food’s ingredient lists, which included several languages. Interestingly, it had separate sections marked by the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack. The UK ingredients were much more vague and concise, e.g. “natural/artificial flavourings” vs. US “natural apple, pear, and cherry flavorings.”

26

For the poutine person, FWIW I remember seeing an ad at a McDonald’s in Toronto advertising it. This was back in 2002-ish. It looked too gross to me but now I wish I had the guts to try it. :slight_smile:

27

At the very least, the ingredient list above says that U.S. McNuggets are made with safflower oil and Canadian McNuggets are made with soybean/canola oil. That sounds believable to me; safflower oil doesn’t seem very common in Canada, at least compared to canola oil.

28

Those Canadians love their rape.

29

They’re all bad seeds.

30

You should see it in harvest season - field after field of endless rape.

ETA: We’re early, guys - I think February is Rape Month around here.

31

I worked for a vac-truck company about 8 years ago and one day we went to do some work at the Simplot potato processing plant in Portage La Prarie. The management guy that gave us the tour said that none of the fries/hashbrowns they made for McDonalds would be served in Canada. They were all destined for IIRC Florida and New York. He said the product didn’t meet Canadian standards but was fine for the U.S.

I have no independant confirmation of this.

It was one of the nicer plants I’ve seen though.

Zeke

32

This, and the fact that chicken is a protected industry in Canada.

Almost any difference in food prices between the two countries can be explained by the interference of government.

33

For the past 2 months, the special here has been 50 for $9.99.

34

But why hasn’t the price of a McChicken shot up just as much? Or maybe it’s just because there’s less chicken in a McChicken than in a 6 pack of McNuggets.

35

50? By Col. Sanders’ beard, who couldst devour that much chicken?

36

Don’t worry, it’s only 35% chicken. Jormungandr might be able to eat it all, but I think the big-scale devouring is by his bud Fenrir.

37

In Japan, McDonald’s usually only sells a 5-piece for 270 yen (US$3.47). However, lately they have been testing new sauces such as “Cream Ranch Dressing” and “Buffalo Spicy Sauce” and selling the same 5-packs for 100 yen (US$1.29). FTR, the usual sauces available in Japan are barbecue and hot mustard. Wish they had honey. Loved that when I was a kid.

38

Is it pronounced differently than the felony? I’ve seen it in print over the years, but don’t remember hearing it…

39

Yes.

Canola.

And no. Rapeseed is pronounced exactly the way you think. Or is it Rape seed?

40

Eight years later…

Toronto-area Burger King restaurants have had cheapish chicken nuggets for a while now (10 for $3, occasionally on sale for 10 for $2) whereas McDonalds still has expensive McNuggets, so government interference in the nugget supply doesn’t seem to be the driving factor.