Back in 2013, McDonald’s made a commitment to remove soda from kids’ meals. Since then, soda sales at McDonald’s have fallen significantly.
McDonalds partnered with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, and agreed to remove soda from Happy Meals. However, in the fine print, it showed that McDonalds only stopped advertising soda, but still included it on menu boards.
They only officially removed soda from Happy Meals when the CSPI threatened litigation for misleading the public.
According to a report released by the major fast food company, between July 2014 and May 2015, only 48 percent of customers purchased soda with a Happy Meal. In the previous year, the percentage was 56 percent, which is a significant drop.
Before the changes to the menu, 37 percent of customers chose milk or juice, but after soda was no longer marketed, 46 percent of customers chose the relatively healthier beverages.
After McDonald’s made the move to get rid of soda from kids’ meal menus, other fast food companies such as Wendy’s and Burger followed suit.
“In less than a year period, to see a shift away from soda is encouraging,” Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told The Wall Street Journal. “Given that for decades restaurants have been promoting soda on kids’ menus, it’s going to take time to get into a new mind-set. Taking soda off the menu is a really important step.”
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REFERENCES:
1. “Under the Golden Arches, Soda Sales to Kids Fall Flat.” TakePart. TakePart, 26 June 2015. Web. 03 July 2015.
2. “Alliance for a Healthier Generation and McDonald’s Announce Groundbreaking CGI Commitment to Promote Balanced Food and Beverage Choices.” McDonalds. McDonalds, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 03 July 2015.
3. “Why McDonald’s Is Selling Fewer Sodas With Its Happy Meals.” Time. Time, 26 June 2015. Web. 03 July 2015.
4. “Less Soda Being Chosen With McDonald’s Happy Meals.” WSJ. Wall Street Journal, n.d. Web. 03 July 2015.
