Whether parents regularly go to fast food chains or go to sporadic basis, most of them would prefer that these ubiquitous establishments offered more nutritionally sound options for their children. That end game may very well be in sight as McDonald's announced in 2018 that they are setting their sights on creating their Happy Meal offerings in a way that will make parents happier and kids healthier.
The little changes that took place
The famous fast-food chain stated that they aim to service more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean protein and water in Happy Meals, while simultaneously reducing the calories, fat, added sugar and sodium in the combo. There are some changes that already took place in the past few years.
Cheeseburgers were taken off the kids' menu in 2018, but parents can still order them for their own meal. The main options for Happy Meals are now regular hamburgers and four and six-piece Chicken McNuggets. The french fry portions got smaller too, going from a small size to a kid's size. The side choice for Happy Meals includes apple slices and low-fat strawberry yogurt.
Soda and chocolate milk are no longer options for Happy Meals. Parents can choose the drinks for the kids, they can choose between water, apple juice or 1% low-fat white milk. The Chicken McNuggets that are included in the kid's menu contain no artificial preservatives, flavors or colors. The hamburgers included in the Happy Meal have no artificial preservatives or flavors, and you won't find any added colors from artificial sources. But McDonald's said that the pickles contain artificial preservatives.
Even though these changes have happened recently, they already made a major impact, according to the senior nutrition director of McDonald's, Cindy Goody. She said that 15% more customers chose water, milk or juice to accompany Happy Meals in 2018 than in 2013. What's more, is that the fast-food chain distributed 250 million apple slices packets in between 2015 to 2018.
The goal of McDonald's
The ultimate goal of McDonald's is that 50% or more of the Happy Meal bundle offerings shown on menus around the world will meet the criteria of fewer than or equal to 600 calories. They also want it to be less than or equal to 10% of calories from saturated fat, fewer than or equal to 650 milligrams of sodium and less than or equal to 10% of calories from added sugar.
The Toronto Star reported that before these changes, Happy Meals ranged from 300 to almost 800 calories across North America. This initiative marks the first time that the fast-food chain has established finite nutrition goals for one of their meal combos. And they are planning on doing it in the company's 120 markets around the world, and that includes 1,400 restaurants in Canada.
Given all of the healthier adjustments that have been made to Happy Meals over the years, this is not the first time that McDonald's has aimed to show that they are prioritizing the wellness of their youngest consumers in mind. But it certainly seems to be their most noteworthy and ambitious effort to date.
