McDonald's restaurants will soon include apples in every Happy Meal, part of a wide-ranging strategy to change its menu and lower calories made available to kids.
The Oak Brook, Ill.-based company said Tuesday it will cut calories by 20 percent in its most popular Happy Meals. McDonald's is one of the most closely watched restaurant chains in the nation, and in the greater Atlanta area, where it has 280 restaurants. The company came under pressure from health professionals earlier this year to retire Ronald McDonald and stop marketing to kids -- demands it rejected.
McDonald's will begin rolling out the new Happy Meal in September, with the goal of having them available in all 14,000 restaurants during the first three months of next year. The new Happy Meal will include both apple slices and a smaller size of French fries. A side choice of apples will be available only on request.
Critics of fast food companies said the changes are steps in the right direction, but might not go far enough.
"The corporation has yet to address the central issue: its aggressive brand marketing to kids," said Kelle Louaillier, Corporate Accountability International executive director. "So as long as burgers, fries and soda offerings to kids, alongside toys, remain central to that brand, health professionals will continue to call for the marketing to stop."
Michael Jacobson, executive director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said he wanted Happy Meals to include a bigger serving of fresh fruit or vegetables. But he called the apples option "a real advance."
"This move is a sign that the company recognizes that parents don't want burgers, fries and soda to be the default fast-food experience," he said.
However, Maria Nelson, an Atlanta-area mother, said the fruit wouldn’t attract her business. “One [good] apple doesn’t make the rest of their unhealthy menu any better,” she said
McDonald's said 90 percent of its customers are aware of the apple option for Happy Meals, but apples are chosen only 11 percent of the time. Apples have been available upon request for seven years.
"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, Produce for Better Health Foundation president.
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