McDonald’s Implements Changes to Make Healthier Happy Meals

McDonald’s has launched an initiative to have more balanced meal options for kids in 2018. Since then, the fast-food chain has sold over 2.5 billion Happy Meal items. These Happy Meals contain fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy, water, lean protein, or whole grains.

“We know how important it is to give parents menu choices they can feel good about feeding their children. We recognize there's always more work to do in this space, and we remain committed to using our size and scale to support children and families as we continue to evolve the Happy Meal,” said Julia Braun, McDonald's director of global nutrition, per QSR Magazine.

Mashed reported that “the meals will be free of artificial flavors and have lower quantities of artificial preservatives” by 2022. The company will make its Happy Meals healthier by ensuring they are more balanced nutritionally. Also, each meal now only have below 600 calories.

Additionally, the company has already done impactful changes. These include tweaking 93 percent of its Happy Meal options to eliminate artificial flavors.

“As one of the most frequented restaurants globally, we’re committed to using our size and scale to offer and promote more balanced choices for kids and families,” Braun told Fox Business.

“We know how important delicious food is in bringing families together, and we want parents to feel good about serving our food to their kids. We’ve worked hard to make meaningful changes to evolve the Happy Meal, and this progress marks an important step in providing access to more balanced options made with quality ingredients,” she added.

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