Apple Slices Now in Local Happy Meals

Starting Friday, Sept. 16, all local will become some of the first in the U.S. to sell a brand new Happy Meal featuring apple slices and a kid's size fry in every box.

To mark the occasion, all Greater Atlanta McDonald's restaurants will offer a "Happy Meal Happy Hour" event from 2 to 7 p.m. every day Sept. 16 through 22, featuring a buy one, get one free deal on all Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals.

Available nationwide by the first quarter of 2012, the new Happy Meal automatically includes Apple Slices (apple slices, ¼ cup or ½ serving) as a side to the choice of Chicken McNuggets®, a Hamburger, or Cheeseburger , and choice of beverage, in which fat-free chocolate milk and 1% white milk will be options. In addition to Apple Slices, the meal also includes a new smaller size French Fries (1.1 ounces). For those customers who prefer a side choice of apples only, two bags of apples will be available upon request.

By adding fruit in every Happy Meal, McDonald’s hopes to address a challenge children face in meeting the recommended daily consumption of produce. McDonald’s has been offering apples as a requested Happy Meal choice since 2004, and while recent research found that 88 percent of McDonald’s customers are aware of the option, only 11 percent choose apples.

“As the dad of a young daughter, I know that helping kids make good nutrition choices can be challenging,” said Donavon Groen, president of the Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operator’s Association. “With the new Happy Meal, we’re helping support parents in encouraging their children to enjoy food that is good for them along with the foods they love by automatically including both apples and fries as part of a balanced, kid-appropriate meal. We’re excited this new offering will introduce about 100 million cups of produce annually into the diets of our youngest customers.”

The new Happy Meal that includes 4-piece Chicken McNuggets, Apple Slices, new smaller size French fries and 1% low fat white milk or fat-free chocolate milk delivers produce and dairy–two food groups encouraged by the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 and MyPlate–as well as at least 10 percent of the Daily Value for vitamins A and C, calcium and vitamin D. In addition, the sodium in the Happy Meal entrée favorite, Chicken McNuggets, has been reduced by more than 20 percent since 2003. In fact, as part of its national sodium reduction efforts, McDonald’s recently reduced sodium by 10 percent in the most of its chicken menu items.

“Recent research has shown that younger children are consuming more fruits and vegetables, but we still have a long way to go to increase consumption to meet daily recommendations for these important food groups,” according to Elizabeth Pivonka, PhD, RD, president and CEO of Produce for Better Health Foundation. “We applaud McDonald’s effort to celebrate produce in every Happy Meal which further strengthens their seven years of support in our campaign to educate children on the benefits of fruits and vegetables.”

The new Happy Meal is the latest example of McDonald’s ongoing menu evolution, which has included adding low-fat milk (1991), changing the McNugget recipe so that it’s made with white meat chicken (2003), and offering new Happy Meal choices like Apple Dippers with Low-Fat Caramel Dip (2004). More Happy Meal fruit and vegetable choices are under development and expected to roll out over the next few years.

To reaffirm a commitment to responsible marketing to children, McDonald’s has supported the Council of Better Business Bureau’s (“CBBB”) Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (“CFBAI”) since 2006 involving a voluntary Food Pledge to only advertise products to kids that represent healthier dietary choices. Several combinations of the new Happy Meal will meet the CFBAI’s recently announced more rigorous Food Pledge standards.