McDonald's makes Happy Meals 'healthier' by reducing fries, adding apples

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: Happy Meals, apples, health news

(NaturalNews) In an apparent "change or die" strategy of business, the McDonald's fast food company will soon alter the contents of its childrens "Happy Meals" to meet growing demand for healthier food. To make the meals healthier and more appealing to health-conscious customers, the company is planning to cut the amount of fries included from 2.4 ounces to 1.1 ounces, and instead replace them with a few apple slices.

Reports indicate that McDonald's has been under intense pressure from both consumer groups and parents to make its food offerings healthier. Many NaturalNews readers will remember previous incidents involving McDonald's where the company was actually sued for including toys with Happy Meals (https://www.naturalnews.com/029090_Happy_Meal...), and the now-infamous banning of Happy Meal toys in San Francisco (https://www.naturalnews.com/030289_Happy_Meal...).

Beginning in September, McDonald's is voluntarily changing the Happy Meal in some stores by cutting the amount of fries they come with, and automatically replacing these minimal fries with added fruit. By the end of its first fiscal quarter in 2012, McDonald's says all 14,000 of its US stores will be serving the modified Happy Meals.

"We are going to be casting our gaze more closely on portion management as well as how we can introduce more food groups such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains," said Cindy Goody, McDonald's senior director of nutrition. The company also denied that consumer group lobbying had anything to do with the changes, claiming that they had been in the works for years.

However, while the efforts appear well-intentioned, they still do not address the underlying problems with McDonald's food and the system from which it is derived. Poor quality, genetically-modified (GM) frying oils; refined, highly-processed buns; factory-farmed meat with synthetic additives -- these are some of the underlying problems with McDonald's food that need a complete overhaul of the company's food strategy. But at least McDonald's is beginning to move, in the right direction.

Sources for this story include:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/26/us...