McDonald's is ditching the iconic McFlurry spoon as it replaces all its plastic cutlery with items made from paper.

The fast-food giant, which first stopped handing out plastic straws in 2018, is now making more changes to packaging as part of efforts to rid its restaurants of single-use plastics.

Fans of a McFlurry ice cream dessert - alongside those who tuck into breakfast pancakes or a McDonald's salad - are among the customers most likely to notice the latest changes as the new knives, forks and spoons served with these options will now be made from FSC-certified pressed paper.

It is not the first change to be made to the appearance of a McFlurry in the drive to be more eco-friendly - with restaurants having already abandoned plastic lids on McFlurry cups in favour of handing the cold-treat out in just their cardboard cartons. Salad boxes have also made the switch to packaging made only of cardboard as well.

However the move, and choice of new material, is not without its critics.

Responding to the announcement on social media - some customers have expressed concerns the paper spoons are likely to bend and soften in the ice cream over time while others compare using them to trying to drink a milkshake with a paper straw, which some fans claim quickly turns 'soggy' inside the drink.

Restaurant's in England and Wales are following in the footsteps of branches in Northern Ireland and Scotland, which began their move to paper-based cutlery during the first half of this year.

McDonald's says it hopes the changes will eliminate 858 tonnes of plastic from across the UK annually as it chases down a target to ensure all packaging given to customers is fully recyclable and compostable by 2024.

Nina Prichard, head of sustainable and ethical sourcing at McDonald’s, said: "As a business, we’re committed to taking action on packaging and waste and increasing our use of sustainable materials.

"We’re pleased to announce another step forward in eliminating single-use plastics and it’s great to be switching our famous McFlurry spoons to this new paper-based material."

The new paper cutlery will be gradually introduced in restaurants in England and Wales from this week as McDonald’s phases out its existing plastic products first.