Wellness Update: North America: McDonald’s US Happy Meals get apples, fewer fries | BusinessWorld Online Edition

McDonald’s US Happy Meals get apples, fewer fries | BusinessWorld Online Edition: "McDonald’s Corp. said on Tuesday it will soon tweak its Happy Meals, reducing the French fry portion by more than half and automatically adding apples to the popular children’s meals, after coming under pressure from consumer groups to provide healthier fare.
McDonald’s -- which has been taking heat from parents, consumer groups and local lawmakers over the nutritional content and marketing of Happy Meals -- said it would start making the changes in September and the new Happy Meals would be available in all of its 14,000 US restaurants by the end of the first quarter of 2012.

The world’s largest hamburger chain also plans a 15% reduction in sodium across its US menu by 2015. Beyond that, it vowed to cut sodium, added sugars, saturated fats and calories in domestic meals by 2020.

'We are going to be casting our gaze more closely on portion management as well as how we can introduce more food groups such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains,' Cindy Goody, McDonald’s senior director of nutrition, said on a Webcast."