McDonald’s Announces Commitments to Offer Improved Nutrition Choices

McDonald's is going to try to put more happy into its Happy Meals. Today, the chain's U.S. president Jan Fields announced the company’s “Commitments to Offer Improved Nutrition Choices.”

According to the company's press release, the plan aims to help customers, specifically families and children, make nutrition-minded choices whether at a McDonald’s location or somewhere else.

There are currently menu changes underway that include the addition of more nutritionally-balanced choices while continuing McDonald's mission of tasty yet affordable food, as stated in the release. In addition, the company plans to create an increased focus on providing nutrition information to help restaurant guests make "informed menu decisions."

One of the changes McDonald's will be making to its menu includes providing produce in the form of apple slices, low-fat dairy options such as fat-free chocolate milk and 1 percent low fat white milk, and a new smaller size French fries in every Happy Meal.

McDonald's has been offering apple slices as a Happy Meal choice since 2004. According to the release, recent research found that on average, 88 percent of McDonald’s customers are aware of the option, but apples are chosen in only 11 percent of Happy Meal purchases. By including fruit in every Happy Meal, McDonald's "hopes to address a challenge children face in meeting the recommended daily consumption of produce," as stated in the release.

According to the release, these changes will result in an estimated 20 percent reduction in calories of the most popular Happy Meals, as well as reducing fat in the meal. This new Happy Meal will be available in September 2011.

Changes McDonald's is making on its menu will reduce sodium an average of 15 percent overall across its national menu of food choices by 2015. By 2020, McDonald’s will reduce added sugars, saturated fat and calories. These changes will occur as a result of "varied portion sizes, reformulations and innovations."

According to the release, the company has already reduced sodium by 10 percent in the majority of its national chicken menu offerings, including most recently its Chicken McNuggets.

In addition to menu changes, McDonald's is making changes to make nutritional information more readily available to customers. According to the release, the company is now making available its first mobile app, giving customers access nutrition information on-the-go.

Interested in checking out these changes? Here are your local locations:

• 338 2nd Street Pike, Southampton
• 1930 Street Road, Bensalem
• 1240 Bristol Pike, Bensalem
• 2300 E. Lincoln Highway, Langhorne