TORONTO — A minor change is coming to the way Canadians enjoy a McFlurry, according to a statement issued last month by McDonald’s Canada.
The company says the ice cream staple will be served with a reusable, wooden spoon rather than the traditional plastic spindle/spoon combo customers are used to receiving.
Officials say the “seemingly small change” will have a big impact.
“Replacing the McFlurry plastic spindle with a wooden spoon … is expected to eliminate approximately 191 tonnes of single-use plastic resins from the Canadian system annually,” the company says.
Invented in 1995 by McDonald’s franchise Ron McLellan, of Bathurst, N.B., the McFlurry is known for its mixing spindles that double as a spoon for the sweet treat.
Restaurants in Montreal have already adopted the wooden spoons, according to McDonald’s Canada. The rest of the country is set to follow suit by the end of 2023.
Some restaurants in New Brunswick have already adopted wood spoons. It means customers themselves will have to mix their McFluffy toppings into the ice cream.
McDonald’s Canada says the move is another step in the fast food chain’s reduction of single-use plastics after eliminating plastic cutlery, stir sticks and straws from restaurants in late 2021.