McDonald’s Eliminates Certain Food Offerings In Kids’ Meals
McDonald’s recently announced it was removing the options for cheeseburgers and chocolate milk from its kids’ menu – all in the effort to improve its image.
According to the company, about 50 percent of its kid’s meal options on the menu will fall into the worldwide Happy Meal nutrition standards – 600 calories or less, less than 10 percent of saturated fat calories, less than 650mg of sedum and less than 10 percent of added sugar calories.
McDonald’s is committed to offering kids better options and making these small adjustments can help them to achieve that goal. For example, U.S. McDonald’s locations have begun offering organic apple juice because it’s lower in both calories and sugar. The company will offer low-sugar chocolate milk.
The fries serving will also be reduced when served with a six-piece Chicken McNugget Happy Meal. At the moment, the option is a small fry but will be reduced even further to a kid-size fry.
The company said it would also offer more vegetables, fruit, whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy and water in its Happy Meals.
The American Heart Association approves of McDonald’s plans regarding its Happy Meals. AHA CEO Nancy Brown said it’s a step in the right direction, and they hope it helps kids to consume fewer calories, sodium, sugar and saturated fat.
Of course, some are not impressed with the latest news from McDonald’s, saying it’s the same tricks they’ve used before. According to watchdog group Corporate Accountability, Happy Meals are just a ploy to hook children into buying junk food and establishing brand identity.
McDonald’s is currently testing its Happy Meals alternatives outside the United States. In Italy, the company began offering a Happy Meal entrée known as the Junior Chicken, which is a lean, grilled chicken sandwich. In Australia, the company is offering both lean protein and vegetable options. For France, the company is offering vegetables.
Julia Braun, McDonald’s registered dietician and head of global nutrition, said the U.S. would monitor these ideas and see how they’re fairing. She said the company is dedicated to offering new options to kids and parents.
Braun said many European establishments have begun offering vegan and vegetarian burger choices. She said she’s tried the burger, and it’s really good. According to Braun, the offer needs to be customer-demanded in masses before it can be introduced here in the U.S.
Along with the announcement of filtering out certain Happy Meal foods, McDonald’s praised itself for eliminating the sugary soda from its Happy Meal menu. The removal fell in line with its commitment with the group Alliance for a Healthier Generation – a group that wants to help kids make healthy long-term habits.
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