David Paul Morris/Getty ImagesA McDonald’s Happy Meal.
Bowing to pressure from antiobesity campaigns, McDonald’s is putting the Happy Meal on a diet.
The company announced Tuesday that it has planned changes to its popular children’s meal that will more than halve the amount of French fries in the package and add fruit.
The new Happy Meals will be introduced in September. In most cases, they will include apple slices, or perhaps another fruit, and parents will have the option of requesting vegetables in lieu of fries.
Additionally, the company will offer a choice of milk with 1 percent fat or fat-free chocolate milk rather than soda, although parents can still ask for soda.
In recent years, McDonald’s has faced increasing criticism about its menu as cities, states and public organizations pursued antiobesity campaigns. The Happy Meal has become a favorite target, because of the rising rate of overweight children nationwide, and the enticement of toys included in the packages.
McDonald’s said its goal was to reduce calories in the meal package by 20 percent. A Happy Meal with chicken nuggets has 530 calories and 23 grams of fat, but the reconstituted version will have 435 calories and 17 grams of fat, according to the company.
“McDonald’s has taken an extremely important step to help parents who want to please their kids while providing them with at least minimally nutritious food,” said Samantha Graff, director of legal research at Public Health Law and Policy. “We think it’s a terrific move.”
McDonald’s made it clear that it was changing the composition of Happy Meals in response to parental and consumer pressure. It and other fast food restaurants also are facing increased pressure from local governments that are moving to impose regulations aimed at improving the nutritional value of the food they serve.
In San Francisco, toys with children’s meals are banned unless the meals meet certain nutritional criteria, and a New York City councilman is pushing similar legislation that would prohibit the toys unless the accompanying meals had a smaller calorie and fat content.
Even though McDonald’s has long offered parents the option of asking for fruit instead of fries, a study by Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity found that only 11 percent took advantage of that option.
The company said Tuesday it would no longer offer the caramel dipping sauce it previously served with apples.
McDonald’s remains unyielding on the toys that it stuffs in every box, which are the bane of critics who believe they lure children to fast food. Jack in the Box, however, recently eliminated toys from its meals for children.
Articles related to the campaigns and business efforts pertaining to obesity can be found a continuing series, The Big Picture.
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