Today, McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) announced an expanded commitment to
families, supporting the company’s long-term global growth plan by
leveraging its reach to impact children’s meals, access to reading,
and keeping families together through Ronald McDonald House
Charities. By 2022, McDonald’s will make improvements to the
Happy Meal menu across 120 markets to offer more balanced meals,
simplify ingredients, continue to be transparent with Happy Meal
nutrition information, reinforce responsible marketing to children,
and leverage innovative marketing to help impact the purchase of
foods and beverages that contain recommended food groups in Happy
Meals.
“We recognise the opportunity that we have to support families
as one of the most visited restaurants in the world, and remain
committed to elevating our food, celebrating the joy of reading,
and helping those in need through Ronald McDonald House Charities,”
said Steve Easterbrook, McDonald’s President and CEO. “Given
our scale and reach, we hope these actions will bring more choices
to consumers and uniquely benefit millions of families, which are
important steps as we build a better McDonald’s.”
In 2013, McDonald’s began working with the not-for-profit
Alliance for Healthier Generation (Healthier Generation) to develop
a comprehensive plan for 20 major markets* to increase customers’
access to fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy and water; and many of
those markets are ahead of schedule in their progress on those
prior commitments.
Today, the company is furthering its efforts with Healthier
Generation to set five new Global Happy Meal Goals through
2022.
1. Offer Balanced Meals
Using rigorous nutrition criteria grounded in science and
nutrition policy, by the end of 2022, at least 50 percent or more
of the Happy Meals listed on menus (restaurant menu boards, primary
ordering screen of kiosks and owned mobile ordering applications)
in each market will meet McDonald’s new Global Happy Meal Nutrition
Criteria of less than or equal to 600 calories; 10 percent of
calories from saturated fat; 650mg sodium; and 10 percent of
calories from added sugar.
Currently, 28 percent of Happy Meal combinations offered on menu
boards in 20 major markets meet these new nutrition criteria. To
reach the goal of 50 percent or more, markets will add new menu
offerings, reformulate or remove menu offerings from the Happy Meal
section of the menu board. For example, last month McDonald’s Italy
introduced a new Happy Meal entrée called the “Junior Chicken,” a
lean protein sandwich (grilled chicken). McDonald’s Australia
is currently exploring new vegetable and lean protein options and
McDonald’s France is looking at new vegetable offerings.
2. Simplify Ingredients
As consumers’ tastes and preferences continue to evolve, markets
will prioritize Happy Meals and simplify ingredients by removing
artificial flavors, added colors from artificial sources, and
reducing artificial preservatives where feasible. In 2016,
McDonald’s USA removed artificial preservatives from Chicken
McNuggets, which also have no artificial flavors and colors, and
the Chicken McNuggets from McDonald’s France and Canada have no
artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.
3. Be Transparent with Happy Meal Nutrition
Information
The company has made a continuous effort to meet consumers’
desire for easy access to nutrition information for menu items it
serves with a goal of ensuring that nutrition information for Happy
Meals is available and accessible through all McDonald’s owned
websites and mobile apps used for ordering where they exist.
4. Market Responsibly
Under the new goals, all Happy Meal bundles advertised to
children will meet McDonald’s new global nutrition criteria, and
will continue to meet any existing local/regional advertising
pledges with respect to marketing to children.
5. Leverage innovative marketing to help increase
purchase of foods and beverages that contain recommended food
groups in Happy Meals
McDonald’s recognizes the opportunity it has to make a positive
impact using its size and scale to leverage innovative marketing,
including packaging and promotions and use of new technologies,
such as kiosks and mobile apps, to help serve more fruit,
vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains, lean protein and water in
Happy Meals. This goal takes these actions one step further to
include a measurement component and externally sharing best
practices and results in a transparent manner.
McDonald’s USA Happy Meal Changes
Customers in the U.S. will see accelerated changes to the Happy
Meal menu this year. In June 2018, 100 percent of the meal
combinations offered on Happy Meal menu boards in the U.S. will be
600 calories or fewer, and 100 percent of those meal combinations
will be compliant with the new nutrition criteria for added sugar,
saturated fat, and 78 percent compliant with the new sodium
criteria.
- Listing only the following entrée choices: Hamburger, 4-piece
and 6-piece Chicken McNuggets. The Cheeseburger will only be
available at a customer’s request.
- Replacing the small French fries with kids-sized fries in the
6-piece Chicken McNugget meal, which decreases the calories and
sodium in the fries serving by half.
- Reformulating chocolate milk to reduce the amount
of added sugar. During this period, chocolate milk will
no longer be listed on the Happy Meal menu, but will be available
at a customer’s request.
- Later this year, bottled water will be added as a featured
beverage choice on Happy Meal menu boards.
- In December 2017, McDonald’s USA completed the transition to
Honest Kids Appley Ever After organic juice drink, which has 45
less calories and half the total sugar than the prior 100 percent
apple juice served in the U.S.
With these planned menu updates, there will be average
reductions of 20 percent in calories, 50 percent in added sugars,13
percent in saturated fat and/or 17 percent in sodium, depending on
the customer’s specific meal selection. These reductions reflect
the average nutrition data of U.S. Happy Meal offerings on the menu
last year compared to those planned for later this year.
Already, several of the Happy Meal combinations available on U.S.
menu boards today meet the new nutrition criteria and will not be
changing.
McDonald’s USA last announced changes of this magnitude in 2013
as part of its commitment with Healthier Generation, when removing
soda from the Happy Meal section of its menu boards, which has
resulted in a 14 percentage point increase in the number of
Happy Meals ordered that include water, milk or juice as their
beverage choice. In December 2013, customers chose water,
milk or juice as their beverage choice in 38 percent of Happy Meals
and that number increased to 52 percent in December 2017. During
that same period, the number of Happy Meals that included soda and
other beverages decreased from 62 percent to 48 percent. For the
first time, more than half of Happy Meals ordered in the U.S. have
included water, milk or juice as their beverage of
choice.
“From day one, Healthier Generation knew our work with
McDonald’s could influence broad scale improvements to meal options
for kids everywhere,” said Dr. Howell Wechsler, Chief Executive
Officer of Alliance for a Healthier Generation. “Today’s
announcement represents meaningful progress to impact kids’
calories, saturated fat, sodium and added sugar in Happy Meal
bundles as offered on menu boards – and to promote more
water. This sets a high bar, and we hope other industry
leaders will follow suit.”
“As a nutritionist and a mom, this is a pivotal moment as
we unveil new, ambitious goals in collaboration with Healthier
Generation that we hope will positively impact families around the
world,” said Julia Braun, MPH, Registered Dietitian and Head
of Global Nutrition at McDonald’s. “Our efforts have led to
big changes and real progress and as part of our continued food
journey, we’re committed to making it easier for families to choose
balanced options that will make measurable differences.”
These commitments apply to all markets globally with measurement
and reporting of progress among 20 major markets, representing
nearly 85 percent of the company’s global sales. The company will
work with Healthier Generation and an independent, third-party to
measure and publicly report progress every two years.
“Happy Meal Readers” Book Program
The company is also using its scale for good to inspire a
passion for reading and will continue to spread the joy of
reading to more families. Since 2001, the company and its
franchisees have distributed more than 370 million
books in Happy Meals. “Happy Meal Readers” continues to
expand, and by 2019 children in more than 100 markets will be
able to choose a book or toy year-round in their Happy
Meals.
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC)
When it comes to supporting families, the company has played an
important role for more than 40 years in keeping families
near the care they need when their children are sick.
McDonald’s was a founding mission partner of the Charity
and remains committed to leveraging the size and scale of
McDonald’s restaurants to promote and raise money to support the
growth of the Charity. RMHC keeps families together,
close to the care they need through more than 364 Ronald
McDonald Houses, 227 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms,
and 49 Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles in 64
countries and regions around the world. Last year
alone, RMHC provided care and resources to more than five and a
half million children and families. Last year, McDonald’s
restaurants supported the work of RMHC by providing approximately
2.4 million overnight stays in neighborhoods and in communities
around the world.
About McDonald's
McDonald's is the world's leading global foodservice retailer
with over 37,000 locations in over 100 countries. Approximately 90%
of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by
independent local business men and women.
About Healthier Generation
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation empowers kids to develop
lifelong healthy habits by ensuring the environments that surround
them provide and promote good health. More than 25 million children
have been helped by Healthier Generation’s work with schools,
communities and businesses across the country. Make a difference at
HealthierGeneration.org and join us on Facebook and Twitter.
*20 major markets: U.S., Canada, Brazil,
Argentina, U.K., France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Netherlands,
Italy, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Hong Kong, China,
Japan, Taiwan and Australia.
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MEDIA
CONTACTS: |
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Becca
Hary McDonald’sbecca.hary@us.mcd.com |
Kate
SiskelAlliance for a Healthier Generation
kate.siskel@healthiergeneration.org |
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