After much pressure from public health advocacy groups, McDonald's is further upgrading their Happy Meal menu choices, announcing recently that its franchisees will start offering a fruit or vegetable (fries don't count) with every Happy Meal. According to this article , new changes to the fast food chain's kids meals include nixing the caramel dipping sauce that accompanies "apple dippers," now just called apple slices. Happy Meal French fries will shrink in size, to 1.1 ounce, down from 2.4 ounces, and fat-free chocolate milk or 1 percent milk are the standard beverage choices, though parents may still request soda.
Of course, all the changes to McDonald's children's menu isn't all about healthier choices. It is also clever marketing, appealing to parents who are looking for healthier options for their kids when they eat out. The 2011 What's Hot list from the National Restaurant Association indicated that a major trend this year is healthier kids menu. McDonald's is following that trend and others will inevitably follow, as history repeatedly shows that McDonald's menus set the tone for other fast food restaurants, with the effect trickling down to fast casual and independent restaurants. It'll be interesting to see the impact of the Happy Meal changes on the restaurant industries as well as consumer eating patterns.
What do you think? Will improving the Happy Meal menu impact the childhood obesity epidemic? Take the poll!
After much pressure from public health advocacy groups, McDonald's is further upgrading their Happy Meal menu choices, announcing recently that its franchisees will start offering a fruit or vegetable (fries don't count) with every Happy Meal. According to this article , new changes to the fast food chain's kids meals include nixing the caramel dipping sauce that accompanies "apple dippers," now just called apple slices. Happy Meal French fries will shrink in size, to 1.1 ounce, down from 2.4 ounces, and fat-free chocolate milk or 1 percent milk are the standard beverage choices, though parents may still request soda.
Of course, all the changes to McDonald's children's menu isn't all about healthier choices. It is also clever marketing, appealing to parents who are looking for healthier options for their kids when they eat out. The 2011 What's Hot list from the National Restaurant Association indicated that a major trend this year is healthier kids menu. McDonald's is following that trend and others will inevitably follow, as history repeatedly shows that McDonald's menus set the tone for other fast food restaurants, with the effect trickling down to fast casual and independent restaurants. It'll be interesting to see the impact of the Happy Meal changes on the restaurant industries as well as consumer eating patterns.
What do you think? Will improving the Happy Meal menu impact the childhood obesity epidemic? Take the poll!