I had the chance to meet up and chat with McDonald's experts this week to talk about the New Happy Meals and McDonald's commitment to offer improved nutrition choices.
Let me start off by saying I am thrilled at this new change! Anyone who knows me would tell you I am all about healthy eating. That said, we all want an occasional treat - Hello Shamrock Shake! We don't eat out a ton, but it is nice to have healthy choices along with that "treat." If you let most kids pick between french fries and apples, most will pick the french fries - 88% infact! Now they don't have to. With all Happy Meals, you get both a small order of french fries and a small bag of apples. I love that by going out we don't miss an opportunity to include healthy eating. When you have small kids every bite counts!
Now to address some concerns some of you expressed:
I don't like it. I don't like McDonalds deciding what parents should let their kids eat. Plus those apples have so many preservatives in them they're probably just as bad for kids as the fries are. :)
I did express the concern about the preservatives in the apples. I added that my daughter does not like apples this way - she can taste the difference. McDonald's is going to look into what is used and get back to us. They are also adding other options - keep reading!
I definitely think McDonalds is going in the right direction on this but I still think it should be up to a parent to decide what they want the child to have in their happy meal. I think apples and fries are just too much....maybe one or the other but still in the smaller size. I am finding that I end up eating the apples or half of the fries because it is just too much for my toddler to have on his plate.
McDonald's agrees with this! It is up to the parents to decide. They just want to offer us more choices. Since only 12% of parents were choosing the apples, this is a good way to help get fruit into their diet. That being said, you do have the option to forgo the apples for a larger order of french fries or a double order of apples or you could just ask for one. If you order the apples you could take the extra bag for later! But Happy Meals are enjoyed by kids of all ages. The older kids need a little more food than our pint sized toddlers:)
I actually think it is introducing their french fries to kids whose parents never selected them before. I like the idea of a smaller portion of fries,but don't automatically put them in every meal. It appears they are doing a good thing, but really aren't they just hooking a new generation on their food? They should offer veggies and dip or like Chic Fil A - a fruit cup of some sort. Don't like it!
You still have the choice to order just apple slices. You will get a double order of the apple slices in lieu of french fries. I am also happy to report that McDonald's is in the process of adding carrots with ranch dressing as an option. We did discuss adding other fruit like grapes or mixed fruit as well.
Thank you for the feedback. McDonald's taking all this into consideration. Your voice does count! If you missed reading this info in a previous edition, keep reading below for more details about McDonald's new changes.
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New Happy Meal Helps Parents Encourage Children’s Nutrition-Minded Choices
McDonald’s restaurants across the region have introduced a new Happy Meal in support of the company’s Commitments to Offer Improved Nutrition Choice which strive to help customers – especially children and families –make nutrition-minded choices whether visiting McDonald’s or elsewhere.
The new Happy Meal automatically includes Apple Slices (¼ cup or ½ serving) as a side to the choice of Chicken McNuggets®, a Hamburger or Cheeseburger, and choice of beverage, which includes the options of fat-free chocolate milk and 1% white milk. In addition to Apple Slices, the meal also includes a new smaller size French Fries (1.1 ounces). For customers who prefer apples only, an additional bag of Apple Slices is available in lieu of fries.
By adding fruit to every Happy Meal, McDonald’s hopes to address a challenge children face in meeting the recommended daily consumption of produce. McDonald’s has been offering apples as a requested Happy Meal choice since 2004, and while research found that 88 percent of McDonald’s customers were aware of the option, the apples were chosen in only 11 percent of Happy Meal purchases.
“As a parent, I know that helping kids to make good nutrition choices may be a challenge,” said Rick Rehak, McDonald’s Regional Marketing Director. “With the new Happy Meal, we’re helping parents encourage their children to enjoy the foods that are good for them along with the foods they love by automatically including both apples and fries as part of a balanced, kid-appropriate meal. We’re excited this new offering will introduce about 100 million cups of produce annually into the diets of our youngest customers.”
For example, a new Happy Meal with 4-piece Chicken McNuggets, Apple Slices, new smaller size French fries and 1% low fat white milk or fat-free chocolate milk will deliver produce and dairy – two food groups encouraged by the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 and MyPlate – as well as at least 10 percent of the Daily Value for vitamins A and C, calcium and vitamin D. In addition, the sodium in Chicken McNuggets has been reduced by more than 20 percent since 2003. In fact, as part of its national sodium reduction efforts, McDonald’s recently reduced sodium by 10 percent in the most of its chicken menu items.
“Research shows that younger children are consuming more fruits and vegetables, but we still have a long way to go to increase consumption to meet daily recommendations for these important food groups,” said Elizabeth Pivonka, PhD, RD, president and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. “We applaud McDonald’s effort to celebrate produce in every Happy Meal which further strengthens their seven years of support of our campaign to educate children about the benefits of fruits and vegetables.”
The new Happy Meal is the latest example of McDonald’s ongoing menu evolution, which includes adding low-fat milk (1991), changing the McNugget recipe so that it’s made with white meat chicken (2003), and offering new Happy Meal choices like Apple Dippers with Low-Fat Caramel Dip (2004). More Happy Meal fruit and vegetable choices are under development and expected to roll out over the next few years.
To reaffirm a commitment to responsible marketing to children, McDonald’s has supported the Council of Better Business Bureau’s Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative since 2006, which included a voluntary Food Pledge to only advertise products to kids that represent healthier dietary choices. Several combinations of the new Happy Meal will meet the CFBAI’s recently revised more rigorous Food Pledge standards.
What's your take Mac Kid Mommas? We'd love to hear!
