McDonald’s Restaurants in Latin America Evolve Menu 27/07/2011 10:05 (1 Day 03:52 minutes ago)
The FINANCIAL -- Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 26th, 2011 – Arcos Dorados, responsible for the operation of the McDonald’s brand in 19 countries and territories in Latin America, announced today a number of menu items’ evolution, in benefit of the nutritional composition of food for children and adults, offered at the restaurants it operates throughout the region.
These developments will start to be implemented in the Latin American countries managed by Arcos Dorados from October 1st and are part of the constant menu evolution that the brand has been building on, in the past years, as well as a reinforcement of its commitment to a good quality of life.
“This is a clear and firm demonstration of the high level of our evolving commitment with the welfare of our customers. Our company is committed to being at the forefront of the trends and preferences of society, and to do so, we want to be sure that we offer even more menu options that are aligned with a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Likewise, we will continue to support initiatives that promote physical activities,” said Woods Staton, President and CEO of Arcos Dorados.
New Happy Meal
The new version of the Happy Meal will now be composed of four items, with the addition of a serving of fresh fruit, which will change according to the season of the year.
All of the combinations of the four-item Happy Meal in Latin America will now have less than 600 calories, which equates to one third of the daily requirement for calories recommended by the WHO for children ages 6 to 10. For that, the company will implement a series of evolutions that will improve the nutritional profile of the Happy Meal:
A new size of French fries has been created exclusively for the Happy Meal, with an average of 100 calories, less than half of the previous calories amount.
McDonald’s restaurants in Latin America have also reduced the amount of sodium by an average of 10% in the buns, in the McNuggets, in the cheese and in the ketchup, improving the nutritional profile of the three Happy Meal options: Hamburger, Cheeseburger and McNuggets.
In addition, the amount of sugar added to the fruit juices will be reduced by almost 40%, reaching no more than 5gr of added sugar per 100ml.
With all of these innovations, the menu will have an enhanced nutritional composition, which is even more adequate to children: more vitamins and more fiber, with less sodium, less sugar and fewer calories, while maintaining the same great taste of McDonald’s menu items.
“We are very glad to learn about the reformulation of McDonald's / Arcos Dorados products in regards to the reduction of salt, sugar and calories per portion, and the increase of the use of fruits and vegetables in the children's menus. The changes just announced certainly seem to be going in the right direction", said James Hospedales, Senior Advisor of the Panamerican Health Organization’s Department of Control and Prevention of Chronical Diseases.
With all that, the Happy Meal will now be offered in the McDonald’s restaurants in Latin America in various combinations of four menu items, which the customers can decide for according to their preferences: a main item (Hamburger, Cheeseburger and McNuggets), a side (French fries or, in certain markets, another option of local vegetable), a drink (fruit juice of soda with or without calories), and a portion of seasonal fruit.
Adult Menu
Likewise, the other regular Combos will offer a new salad as an option for the side dish of sandwiches and beverages. The new side salad, that will have less than 10 calories without the dressing, will be a mix of green leaves and tomatoes. This will represent a reduction in the total of calories of an Extra Value Meal, compared to the choice of fries as the side option.
With sodium reduction in all its core sandwich buns, the cheese and the ketchup, McDonald’s is also reducing the amount of sodium in all its sandwiches on the core menu (including the Big Mac, the Quarter Pounder, the Hamburger, the Cheeseburger and the line of chicken sandwiches).
To assure that the menu items will keep the same delicious taste characteristics, the McDonald’s restaurants in Latin America have dedicated two years to research, with the support of its suppliers and, during 2011, has tested and validated this nutritional improvement with customers.
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