McDonald’s Happy Meal will have more fruit, fewer fries
Posted July 26, 2011 1:35 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Fast food chain McDonald’s said Tuesday it will revamp its Happy Meal, adding a serving of fruit or vegetable and cutting the french fries portion by more than a half in every meal.
The Happy Meal will now include a half-serving of fruit or vegetable in every meal. A low-fat dairy option, including new fat-free chocolate milk and one per cent low fat milk is available as a soft drink alternative.
The fast food chain is reducing its fries portion by more than half to 1.1 ounces from its initial 2.4 ounces. Two bags of apple slices will be available for those customers who prefer only apples. And those who prefer double the fries can opt for that, too.
“By adding fruit in every Happy Meal, McDonald’s hopes to address a challenge children face in meeting the recommended daily consumption of produce,” McDonald’s said in a news release.
McDonald’s has offered apple slices, marketed as Apple Dippers, as an option with its Happy Meals since 2004. But the company found that while on average 88 per cent of its customers is aware of the fruit option, only 11 per cent chose the fruit instead of fries.
Depending on what is ordered, the new addition will reduce calories on average by 20 per cent as well as an unspecified amount of fat in the meal, McDonald’s said.
The popular toy will still be included and the price of the Happy Meal will not increase as a result of the changes.
McDonald’s will begin rolling out the new Happy Meal in September, and aims to have it available in all 14, 000 U.S. restaurants by 2012.
It is not clear whether the revamped kids’ meal will be available at the 1, 400 McDonald’s restaurants in Canada. A representative at McDonald’s Canada was not immediately available for comment.
The fast food chain also announced its plan to reduce sodium by 15 per cent in its food by 2015. The company recently reduced the amount of salt in its Chicken McNuggets by 10 per cent.
By 2020, McDonald’s pledged to reduce sugars, saturated fat and calories “through varied portion sizes, reformulations and innovations.”
The company is also launching a mobile app where customers can access nutritional information on its menu.
