NEW YORK (AP) -
McDonald's restaurants across the country
will soon get a new menu addition: The number of calories in the chain's
burgers and fries.
The world's biggest hamburger chain said
Wednesday that it will post calorie information on restaurant and
drive-thru menus nationwide starting Monday. The move comes ahead of a
regulation that could require major chains to post the information as
early as next year.
"We want to voluntarily do this," said Jan Fields, president of McDonald's USA. "We believe it will help educate customers."
In cities such as New York and Philadelphia
where posting calorie information is already required, however, Fields
notes that the information has not changed what customers choose to
order.
"When it's all said and done, the menu mix
doesn't change," she said. "But I do think people feel better knowing
this information."
The decision to post calorie information
follows the Supreme Court's decision this summer to uphold President
Barack Obama's health care overhaul, which includes a regulation that
would require restaurant chains with more than 20 locations to post
calorie information. The timetable for carrying out that requirement has
yet to be worked out.
The posting of calorie information isn't a
magic bullet in fighting obesity but could have a big effect over time,
says Margo Wootan, director of nutrition at the Center for Science in
the Public Interest, which advocates on nutrition and food safety
issues.
"Obesity isn't the kind of thing where one
day you wake up and you're fat. We gradually and slowly gain weight over
time," she said.
So even if only some people are swayed to
make slightly better choices, Wootan thinks there's a big benefit to
providing calorie information.
Another upside is that companies tend to work
harder to provide healthier options when they're forced to display
calorie information.
"It can be embarrassing, or shocking, so they end up changing the way the product is made," Wootan said.
Joe Finn, a sales manager from Oconomowoc,
Wis., said he was surprised at the calorie information posted at a
hamburger restaurant when he flew out to California earlier this year
for the Rose Bowl.
"All the calories were up there, and I
thought, well, I'm not going to order that," said Finn, 51, who's trying
to watch what he eats. He ended up picking the most basic burger,
without cheese. Back at home, he tries to stick to options where he
knows the calorie information, such as Subway sandwiches.
"Otherwise you could be ordering a gut bomb," he said.
Representatives for Burger King Worldwide
Inc.; Taco Bell, which is owned by Yum Brands Inc.; and The Wendy's Co.
did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
McDonald's, based in Oak Brook, Ill., is also
testing healthier options for next year, such as an Egg McMuffin made
with egg whites and a whole grain muffin. The sandwich has Canadian
bacon and white cheddar cheese and clocks in at 260 calories. It will be
called the Egg White Delight.
The chain is also testing versions of the
McWrap, which is a bigger version of its chicken Snack Wrap that is
already sold in Europe. The wraps have sliced cucumbers and range from
350 calories to 580 calories.
The moves reflect the pressures McDonald's
and other fast-food chains are facing amid growing concerns about
obesity. McDonald's is also facing competition from chains such as
Subway, which positions itself as a healthy alternative to traditional
hamburger chains.
McDonald's notes that it has already made
strides in improving the nutrition of its food, such as the automatic
inclusion of apple slices in its Happy Meals.
And this summer, it rolled out a "Favorites
Under 400" campaign that highlighted the menu items that had fewer than
400 calories. The company noted that about 80 percent of its menu items
fit the bill.
Of course, not everyone orders just one item.
And the chain has been blamed by critics for fueling obesity rates with
its big soft drinks and other items.
A meal consisting of a Big Mac and medium
fries, for example, has 920 calories. Add a 16-ounce Coca-Cola, and the
count rises to 1,140 calories.
McDonald's, which has 14,000 locations in the
U.S., doesn't plan to advertise the posting of the calorie information.
Fields said it's something the chain is doing as a "customer
convenience."
