Increase Apple McDonald's will improve children's meals in September

Increase Apple McDonald's will improve children's meals in September (Alberta Times) Fast food giant McDonald's announced on the 26th that it will improve the nutrition of children's meals and put "happy...

Increase Apple McDonald's will improve children's meals in September (Alberta Times) Fast food giant McDonald's announced on the 26th that it will improve the nutrition of children's meals, reduce the number of French fries in "Happy Meals" to less than half, and include apples as a standard food item in Happy Meals. In addition, the world's largest fast food restaurant plans to reduce sodium in food by 15% in 2015. The chain also announced that it will further reduce sugar, saturated fat, salt and calorie content in food by 2020. McDonald's said the change will begin in September and by the end of the first quarter of 2012, all 14,000 McDonald's stores across the country will offer "Happy Meals" with apples. McDonald's now offers a "Happy Meal" package that includes a 3.1-ounce apple slice with caramel syrup. Starting in September, the portion size of apple slices will be changed to 1.2 ounces, and no sugar or other dipping sauce will be provided. The company said the new "Happy Meal" will have 20 fewer calories than the current "Happy Meal" and its total calories will not exceed 600 calories. The price of the new "Happy Meal" remains unchanged, and the toys included with each set of "Happy Meal" also remain unchanged. The new "Happy Meal" fries will be reduced from 2.4 ounces to 1.1 ounces and contain 100 calories. First Lady Michelle Obama said on the 26th that McDonald's fast food restaurant's decision to add apples to children's "Happy Meals" is a positive step in solving the problem of childhood obesity. Michelle recently called on fast food restaurants across the country to address the issue of childhood obesity. Retailers, including Walmart, recently announced that they will add or expand 1,500 stores within five years to provide fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy foods. San Francisco and Santa Clara counties in California recently passed laws prohibiting fast food restaurants whose food does not meet nutritional requirements from providing free toys to children. McDonald's had to revamp its children's meal menu to comply with regulations in San Francisco and Santa Clara counties. San Francisco requires that children's meals include vegetables, a standard McDonald's has yet to meet. The company's general manager, Jane Feld, said vegetables are likely to be added to the menu in the future.