The chefs are currently testing new ingredients for future menu items, The Daily Meal reports.
David Farmer is Chick-fil-A’s vice president of menu strategy and development, and he says the company’s mandate is against using iceberg lettuce.
“It’s at the bottom of the salad food chain,” he says. “There is no nutritional value in iceberg lettuce.” Instead, he prefers to see greens like kale and romaine lettuce, which are more nutritious, Business Insider reports.
But iceberg lettuce does have some nutrients, especially vitamins A and K, in lower amounts than most other salad greens.
Over the past couple of years, the company’s focus has been on health, Farmer says. Customers are purchasing healthier items, so the company is seeking out healthier options.
Frequent trips to New York have helped him come up with new menu items.
“I travel to New York to check out new concepts and walk around trying food all day long until I can’t stand to put anything else in my mouth,” he says.
One recent innovation from the six chefs at the company’s test kitchen in Atlanta is the recently launched “superfood side” with kale and broccolini, Fox News reports.
On its’ website, Chick-fil-A notes that it serves about 125 million pounds of fresh produce each year, including almost 26.4 million pounds of fresh lettuce and 12.3 million pounds of fresh tomatoes.
