McDonalds to Roll Out Healthier, Balanced Menus

OAK BROOK, Ill.McDonalds Corp. announced it will adapt their menus to offer healthy option, such as fruit and side salads, as part of its popular value meals to promote balanced food and beverage choices. The fast-food giant also announced nutritional changes to its Happy Meals, as well as changes in the way in which it markets them to children.

McDonalds is partnering with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the Clinton Foundation and American Heart Association, to increase customers access to fruit and vegetables and help families and children to make informed choices in keeping with balanced lifestyles. President Bill Clinton, founder of the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, Don Thompson, President and CEO of McDonalds, and Dr. Howell Wechsler, CEO of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, announced the groundbreaking Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment Sept. 26 at the 2013 CGI Annual Meeting in New York City.

McDonalds collaborated with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to develop a comprehensive plan for 20 of the restaurant chains largest markets that represent 85% of its global sales. The markets include Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China (includes Hong Kong market), France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom and United States.

McDonalds has committed to provide customers a choice of a side salad, fruit or vegetable as a substitute for French fries in value meals. (Salad, fruit or vegetable option will vary per participating market).

Some of the biggest changes will occur with McDonalds Happy Meals, which have come under fire both for offering" nutritionally unbalanced meals" and its marketing tactics to children. In 2011, McDonald's revamped its Happy Meals with its Commitments to Offer Improved Nutrition Choices" initiative, a long-term plan to help customersespecially families and childrenmake nutrition-minded choices when dining out.

Moving forward McDonalds will promote and market only water, milk and juice as the beverage in Happy Meals on menu boards and in-store and external advertising; utilize Happy Meal and other packaging innovations and designs to generate excitement for fruit, vegetable, low/reduced-fat dairy, or water options for kids; dedicate Happy Meal box or bag panels to communicate a fun nutrition or childrens well-being  message; and ensure 100% of all advertising directed to children to include a fun nutrition or childrens well-being message.

Weve seen voluntary agreements with industry have profound impactincluding our work with the beverage industry to limit the amount of calories shipped to schools. Those agreements resulted in a 90% reduction in total beverage calories shipped to schools between 2004 and 2010," said President Clinton. If we want to curb the catastrophic economic and health implications of obesity across the world we need more companies to follow McDonalds lead and to step up to the plate and make meaningful changes. I applaud them for doing it."

McDonald's will retain an independent third-party organization to verify progress on the commitment in a clear and transparent manner as part of the agreement. All pieces of this commitment will be implemented in 30% to 50% of the 20 major markets within three years and 100% of the 20 markets by 2020.

This commitment reflects McDonalds progress regarding nutrition and well-being," said Thompson. Our partnership with the Clinton Foundation and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation is another important step in our journey. And we know theres more to do. We will continue to use our size and scale around the world to help educate, empower and encourage our customers to make informed choices so they can live a balanced and healthy lifestyle."