Fingers have always been pointed at fast food joints for serving food with little nutritional value. Some of these joints have been vociferously accused of contributing to the growing menace of obesity.
Going by the alteration in menu that McDonald’s, one of the behemoths in the trade, is adopting, such accusations may well be a thing of the past. No prizes for guessing that other players in the industry will also, in all probability, follow the suit.
Thus, in the coming future, consumers may actually find genuine, healthy food options at the so-called junk food outlets.
Changes on a global scale
Under pressure from several sections of the society, McDonald’s has announced that it will remove some of the less nutritional food options from its menu and add offerings of fruits and vegetables in some of its ‘menu combinations’.
The change in menu will not only be in the United States but also overseas. The menu changes will be incorporated in 20 of the company’s largest markets. These markets account for four-fifth of the Oak Brook, Illinois-based fast food chain.
The company has also announced that it will add food choices that are lower in fat, salt or sugar content to woo the health conscious customers.
“This is a particular opportunity to partner with the Clinton Foundation and the alliance to leverage our scale and size and marketing prowess to be able to influence more purchases of fruits and vegetables,” Don Thompson, McDonald’s chief executive said of the latest decision.
Other companies should follow suit
McDonald’s will use various marketing tools, including national television advertising campaigns, to inform the market of the new nutritional offerings.
“Companies like McDonald’s play a powerful role in shaping the culture and environment that influences the health-related behaviors of young people,” Howell Wechsler, chief executive of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, said highlighting the importance of the decision.
Former US President Clinton appreciated McDonald’s initiative and opined that such meaningful changes need to be incorporated by other companies including big soda firms to curb obesity rates in the country.
Apart from the social pressure, McDonald’s has been under competitive pressure to overhaul its menu. Subway has successfully built a loyal set of health conscious customers while Burger King has divulged that it will adopt a novel method of serving low calorie French fries.
