THE world’s biggest burger chain has confirmed its Angus burger range has been discontinued after 17 years on the menu.

McDonald’s added the Mighty Angus and Grand Angus burgers to its Australian and United States restaurants in 2009 as a limited time promotion – which proved such a success that it was added to the permanent menu.

While it was discontinued in the US in 2013 due to high raw material costs, Angus burgers have remained on the menu in Australia as a premium item through to May this year.

“We regularly review and evolve our menu to ensure it stays exciting and focused on what matters most to our customers. As part of this process, we farewelled the Classic Angus and BBQ Bacon Angus from restaurants nationwide in May,” a statement from McDonald’s Australia said. Read the full statement at the base of this page.

The Angus range has always been marketed as a premium option, with the slogan “a little bit fancy” being used in advertising campaigns.

Sources have told Beef Central that the willingness of customers to pay extra for premium items at McDonald’s has waned over the past couple of years. Tight financial conditions with rising interest rates, fuel prices and other factors has not helped. The cost of McDonald’s burgers has also been a source of contention online, with several news articles critical of McDonald’s price increases.

Raw material costs may also be a factor. Forward position 75CL trimmings in the Australian wholesale market are this week close to record high, at around $8.50/kg (ex works, before freight). Angus trimmings can at times attracted a 20-30c/kg premium above that, further eroding margins.

While Beef Central has not seen how much the Classic Angus and the BBQ Angus cost at the time they were discontinued, several online forums had suggested they were between $17-$18. McDonald’s menu on Uber Eats in Toowoomba, has beef burgers ranging between $7 for a cheeseburger and $14.80 for a Big Arch.

Several sources told Beef Central that the discontinuation of the burgers was unlikely to be related to the recent changes to AusMeat regulations around breed content description – which has allowed beef with 50 percent Angus to be branded with terms like Angus50, Angus F1 or Angus Cross. McDonald’s Angus beef program was based on 75pc breed content. A separate item on new breed description regulations from 1 July in an upcoming story.

McDonald’s was asked about these two issues as possible factors behind the discontinuation, but did not address them.

McDonald’s decision disappointing

Former Angus Australia president Sam White from Bald Blair Angus at Guyra said while he will miss the Angus burgers at McDonald’s, it was unlikely to have an impact on the demand for Angus beef.

Sam White from Bald Blair Angus.

He said the strong global demand for protein will continue to underpin the market for high quality beef like Angus.

“As disappointed as I am, the challenge is they generally make decisions that are based on sound data,” Mr White said.

“I’ll personally miss not being able to get a McAngus, but I’m only one.

“The Angus brand’s gone on and the marketplace continues to evolve, we have a lot of different options. It’s frustrating that they’ve made that decision, but it’s never made lightly because they are very smart operators,” he said.

The Angus brand has grown considerably since the McDonald’s range started and there are now 62 Australian beef brands that market themselves as Angus.

Mr White said the McDonald’s Angus range has been a successful venture for the Angus breed, both raising the profile of Angus beef and capturing more value for the trimmings.

“Selling the trim is the secret to selling beef. Everybody can sell the good cuts, but it is getting a sale of the trim and mince that is important,” he said.

“There are a lot of other Angus brands out there that are now all trying to differentiate themselves and there’s still masses of demand.”

A timeline of the McAngus range in Australia

2007: McDonald’s shows interest in an Angus burger offering to Australian customers.

2009: The world’s biggest hamburger chain introduced Mighty Angus and Grand Angus burgers in its US and Australian operations. The original Angus offer in Australia was intended as a short-term ‘limited time’ promotion, but such was its success that the company made the decision to add premium-priced Angus burgers to the permanent menu. Apart from a short hiatus in 2022 (in the middle of the Australian herd rebuilding period when beef was in short supply and shot to record levels) it has appeared permanently ever since – some 17 years.

2013: the company’s US restaurant division pulled its Angus deluxe premium burgers from the US menu, due to high raw material prices. Click here to read Beef Central’s report.  At the time, McDonald’s US said it would phase-out its one-third pound (150g) Angus burgers from US store menus, as US beef prices hit a ten-year high.

2016: A McDonald’s spokeswoman told an Angus Australia national conference that Angus beef comprised 10-13pc of all burger sold in Australia, with further growing the ‘Angus brand’ touted as the company’s next challenge. McDonald’s supply chain service director appealed directly to beef producers for their help to grow the program. She said traceability and verification of the breed content was essential.

2018: McDonald’s claimed a significant milestone, having sold five million kilograms of Angus beef since the program started in 2009

2020: McDonald’s Australia pulled out of an Angus verification program managed by Angus Australia, handing the responsibility for verification to raw material supplier Fulton Marketing Group.

2024: McDonald’s Australia responded to cost of living pressures by introducing its McSmart Meal budget deal worth just $6.95 for a burger, chips and drink. An article in 2023 decried the fact that McDonald’s Classic Angus burger had gone from $7.95 to $10.60 over three years, a rise of 33pc.

2026: Beef trimmings prices reach record highs, due to high demand and domestic beef shortage in the US. AusMeat set to launch breed content claims regulations from 1 July.

McDonald’s full statement

“At Macca’s, we’re committed to serving great‑tasting, great‑value food that Aussies know and love.

“Macca’s has a long history of working with Aussie farmers and we will continue to serve great-quality 100% Aussie beef across our menu through favourites such as the Big Mac, Big Arch and Quarter Pounder, as well as continue to source 100% Aussie Angus for international McDonald’s markets.

“While these items won’t be available as part of our core menu in Australia, we’re always exploring new menu innovations and limited‑time offers to keep our menu fresh and exciting.

“We’ll keep listening to feedback and exploring new ways to bring more of what our customers love to menus across Australia.”