FAST-FOOD restaurant chain McDonald's said yesterday it will start to sell rice during dinner hour next week to boost sales and catch up with KFC in catering to Chinese consumers.

The four new rice products will go on sale starting June 10 in all 1,700 McDonald's restaurants in China's mainland.

"The new dining options shows McDonald's is willing to innovate and bring more choices to our Chinese customers," said Kenneth Chan, chief executive officer of McDonald's China.

The restaurant chain said last month it plans to hire 75,000 new employees in China this year to accelerate expansion. It now employs 90,000 people in China. It also plans to add 300 new outlets on the mainland to bring the total number to 2,000 by 2014.

Rival KFC started offering rice products in China in 2011 and was quicker to adjust its menu to local tastes. The fried chicken chain under Yum! Brands now has more than 4,000 outlets in China.