OAK BROOK, Ill. -- Fewer customers are ordering soda with their kid’s Happy Meals after the quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain removed carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) as an option on the children’s menu
Since sodas were removed from the Happy Meal section of menu boards, the company has seen a nine-percentage-point increase in customers selecting milk and juice. Before the change, 37% of customers chose milk and juice; and after, the percentage increased to 46%. During the same period, the percentage of customers selecting soda decreased from 56% to 48%.
Through a partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, McDonald's Corp. has announced a global commitment to increase customers' access to fruit and vegetables and help families and children make informed choices in keeping with balanced lifestyles at the 2013 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting.
Today, Keybridge, a public policy economic consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., has released the first annual report on McDonald's progress. The company retained Keybridge to independently verify progress on these commitments in a clear and transparent manner.
Additional progress from the U.S. market includes:
- McDonald's USA sold 21 million more low-fat and fat-free milk jugs and 100% apple juice boxes in the first 11 months in Happy Meals and ala carte after removing the listing of sodas on the Happy Meal section of menu boards compared to the same period a year earlier (July 2014 to May 2015).
- McDonald's USA sold 161 million tubes of Go-GURT Low Fat Strawberry Yogurts (July 2014 to May 2015) and 38 million Cuties Clementines (November 2014 to March 2015) in Happy Meals and ala carte.
- McDonald's USA did not offer a fruit, vegetable or salad option as a substitute for French fries in Extra Value Meals in 2014, but did offer this alternative beginning in January 2015. An independent survey found that 83% of McDonald's restaurants were offering this new option by February 2015.
- In 2014, 14 Happy Meal boxes and bags dedicated a panel to a fun nutrition or children's well-being message, exceeding the four that were required in order to fulfill the commitment.
- In 2014, McDonald's USA included fun nutrition or children's well-being messages in 100% of its external advertisements directed to children.
Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald's is the world's leading global foodservice retailer with more than 36,000 locations serving approximately 69 million customers in more than 100 countries each day. More than 80% of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business men and women.
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