McDonald's Ends Supersizing

[crystallyn]

From CNN

McSupersizes to be phased out

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) --Say goodbye to those supersized fries -- McDonald's is slimming down its menu.

The hamburger giant has started phasing out its trademark Supersize fries and drinks in its U.S. restaurants as part of an effort to simplify its menu and give customers choices that support a balanced lifestyle, a company spokesman said Tuesday.

By the end of 2004, Supersize will no longer be available at the nation's 13,000-plus McDonald's outlets except in certain promotions, McDonald's spokesman Walt Riker said.

The move comes as the world's largest restaurant company, and fast-food chains in general, are under growing public pressure to give consumers healthier food options in a nation that has suddenly become aware of its bulging waistline and the health dangers that come with it.

McDonald's added entree salads last year and has been moving to provide more fruit, vegetable and yogurt options with its Happy Meals. But the Oak Brook, Illinois-based company remains a magnet for public concerns -- and legal actions -- when it comes to obesity.

Riker said the changes started going into effect in January.

"This core menu, which has been under development since 2002, simplifies our menu and restaurant operations and provides a balance of choices for our customers," he said. "A component of this overall simplification, menu and balanced lifestyle strategy is the ongoing phase-out of the Supersize fry and the Supersize drink options."

The company did not immediately disclose other details of the menu changes.

Two lawsuits claiming McDonald's hid the health risks of eating Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets were thrown out in federal court in New York last year.

But the issue hasn't disappeared.

An award-winning documentary called "Super Size Me" has heaped on more unwanted publicity for McDonald's. The documentary, which chronicles the deterioration of filmmaker Morgan Spurlock's health during a monthlong experiment eating nothing but McDonald's food, won a directing prize at the Sundance Film Festival and is set for wide release this spring.

Riker said the phasing out of super-sizing has "nothing to do with that (film) whatsoever."

The company earlier issued a statement calling the documentary "a super-sized distortion of the quality, choice and variety available at McDonald's." It says the film is not about McDonald's but about Spurlock's decision to act irresponsibly by eating 5,000 calories a day -- "a gimmick to make a film."

[mary catherine]

I've noticed that Keeblers, Nabisco and Oscar Mayer have also slashed their prices on trans-fat heavy products in the past couple of months. The prices keep going down, down, down and many consumers are steering clear.

[launa]

I am so glad to hear this!
I have not been to McDonalds in a while , a big RED light place for me!!!

[Time 2 Shine]

I love the idea of no supersize! graemlins/thumbup.gif

Hey, it's a start. I go there every Wednesday after my dd's preschool with the rest of the moms...a playgroup so they can "release energy" in the playscape and us moms can relax.

Personally, there's not much at McDonald's that I like, so picture me walking in with Quizno's every week! I even have the nerve to refill my drink at the self serve pop station.... :D

I'm still waiting for the healthier choices for the happy meals though.......when's that supposed to happen? :rolleyes:

[crystallyn]

Hehe I can't go to Quiznos...not after the freaky spongemonkey (http://www.rathergood.com/moon_song/) commercials. I mean, rodents to sell your food? :eek:

[jennylomond101]

I can't stand McDonald's either. The meat scares me!

I love the Quizno's sub rodents...they're so stupid they're brilliant. "They got a pepper bar!" LOL

[b_girl]

What are those Quiznos things anyway? Certainly got my attention :eek: ! I think they're funny, although I have been told I have a warped sense of humor tongue.gif

Personally, I think its kind of silly, just like I think the lawsuits against McDonalds were silly. If someone really wants to eat a lot, McD's changing their portions really isn't going to make a difference. (Although I do think that not PRMOMOTING them as much would be a good idea.)

Overeaters can still go through the drive-thru and order multiple items and a couple of drinks in guise of buying for more than one person, when really they will eat it all.

In the end we are all responsible for what goes into our mouth.

Now, if them phasing out the super size leads to more healthy choices on their menu, I'd be all for it! graemlins/thumbup.gif

[ March 04, 2004, 01:13 PM: Message edited by: b_girl ]

[VolGrl02]

b_girl, I totally agree with you. It seems like so many people today want to blame others for what's wrong in their lives when really we are the only ones who control what goes on in our own life. If we are overweight it is because we make poor food choices. McDonald's job is to sell a product. It is up to the consumer to decide whether he or she chooses to buy it.

[elainefromboston]

The cynic in me thinks they're doing it to make themselves look good while knowing that people will just order double sides, so they'll make more money in the end.

I find it funny that this is their idea of "simplifying" their menu. ;)

[crystallyn]

What about KFC and their new "kitchen" fresh marketing program? I mean really, do they expect us to believe that they actually hand flour and bread that chicken at each restaraunt? No way--that comes out of a bag from the freezer...And that because of it we'll ignore the fried in oil part?

Amazing.

[Medb48]

I think that offering some healthy choices is a very responsible alternative. But you're right. Anyone who wants to eat more will just buy 2 fries instead of Supersize.

I don't get the idea behind the film. Broccoli is a healthy choice but if all I eat is broccoli for a month I'm sure I would be compromising my health.

I understand that food chains should offer some healthy choices but come on, we have to take responsibility for what we put in our mouths. graemlins/bcbsalute.gif

[lindalou9]

Halleluia, AMEN!

Linda graemlins/bcbsalute.gif

[youngfrankenstein]

No offense ladies, but do we really expect McDonalds to close it's doors because the food isn't health food? I can't see why anyone wouldn't be happy that they are making SOME of the steps that the public desires.

McDonalds is not responsible for it's customer's behavior but it can try to help a bit. Ever since being on WW, I always order a small size anyway.

I applaude any large chain for taking some steps to do what they can.

Look at the Red Lobster's kids menu. They actually offer grilled fish and steamed vegetables for kids! That deserves a gold medal!

[elainefromboston]

I'm sure too much of anything one thing is never a good idea, but check out the website of the movie www.supersizeme.com (http://www.supersizeme.com) to see what the director's thinking was in terms of doing that documentary. I think in a survey of most Americans who aren't doing a weigh management program, a good portion will tell you they hit the drive through on the way to their meetings, home, or wherever they are going because they don't think about it and it's easy.

Anyhow, here's another article that appeared in today's Boston Herald that might make you wonder a little more about McDonald's:

Docs: McDonald's still oversizes kids meal

by Kay Lazar & Sheila Halldran

Super-sized fries and soft drinks may be on their way out of the golden arches.

But the slick campaign luring America's kids to pig out at McDonald's continues, said nutritionists, who point to the fast food giants super-sized Mighty Kids Meal as proof the burger behemoth hasn't changed its ways.

"Eliminating the super-sized (fries and drinks) only begins to address the problem of ridiculously large serving sizes being marketed to children," said Dr. David Ludwig, head of the obseity program at Children's Hospital in Boston.

Mcdonald's recently announced it would phase out super-sized fries and drinks. But Ludwig said that would do little to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity, because McDonald's and the entire fast-food industry still spends billions of dollars marketing hefty-sized portions of unhealthy good to kids.

"Supersizing is ridiculous, (but) it's fast and easy when you're in a rush," said Evelin Strycharz, a Blackstone mother of three who tries to hit McDonald's only once a month.

"If they had healthier choices, I'd get the healthier choices and try to get them to eat better," she said.

Responding to the criticism, McDonald's said in a statement that its Mighty Kids Meal "is just one more option on our menu (that) provides growing kids with nutrients they need such as calcium and iron, and vitamin A and C, especially when milk is the beverage."

-----------------

I haven't been in a Mickey D's in a long time, mainly because I don't like the food, but I used to go a few years ago, because my niece would only eat the fish sandwich from there, and I can't say I ever remember any of the adults getting their kids milk with a happy meal. I also think that as a society, we've gotten used to the convenience of having someone else prepare our meals. We're lazy for the most part in that regard, and that's where our kids learn it from - our example.

I do remember that last year I was in the UK and stopped at a BK because I was in a hurry, and it was convenient to just grab something on my way to a meeting, and I was surprised at how much smaller the portions were in the same "size" meal. It did make me focus more on what was considered a good portion in the US as compared to other places.

[robijax]

I normally don't like it when a company has to change what they are doing because of a threat of a lawsuit. My "normal" way of thinking would be that people have a choice and a right to choose and if they want to destroy their health they should be allowed to. I think supply and demand should drive the market-place.

However, I was happy to see this story. People are all focused on what to eat (low-fat, low-carb, sugar-free, high fiber, whatever the current fad is) and don't seem to care about how MUCH they eat. Doesn't it all come down to eating fewer calories? Anyone who is following Weight Watchers and goes out to eat knows that portion sized are out of control. I think what McDonalds doing is a step in the right direction.

However, if restaraunts are going to start giving us smaller portions (and I mean nicer restaraunts) I hope they back off their prices also. ;)

[ March 06, 2004, 06:08 PM: Message edited by: robijax ]

[crystallyn]

Actually, the sad truth about America is that it's the "nice" restaraunts that serve us decent size portions. If you go to most places with $25+ plates, you'll find the portions are perfect...but head to the Cheesecake Factory and the plate is the size of your head and so are the sandwiches. graemlins/ugh.gif

[LawDawg]

Crystall you are so right about the portion sizes. Whenever I go to an expensive resturant (before WW) I would never have enough food for a take home box, but send me to just about any others and I pig out till I was overfull and still have plenty to take home.

I was happy to hear about this small step. I would love to see "baked" chicken tenders for kids or a grilled chicken sandwich and still get the toy. I would also love to see a switch to "lite" mayo. Most people would never notice the change.

[SusieKew]

The public still must do its homework and become educated as to healthful eating regardless of this step by McD's. Just this morning I heard Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld, I believe it was, addressing this very thing. Although I can't remember the exact numbers, it was pointed out that the difference between a supersize fries and the large fries was only 18 fries. That boiled down to something like only a 3-4 gram difference in fat, and not much in calories either.

So, a consumer isn't really making any substantial changes if he takes just one step down to the large size. I look at the change in policy as mostly PR, but after all, they do sell a product the public enjoys, so why should they change, other than to add some more healthful choices so as not to lose the health-conscious consumer. It's up to all of us to take responsibility for ourselves...no one is twisting our arm to eat there, or deciding for us which size we eat.

[*WWDonna*]

This is all a big PR marketing ploy. The Supersize Fries are 7 oz, which they are discontinuing. They will offer the Large Fries instead, which are 6 oz.

[crystallyn]

Follow up article:

Posted on Mon, Mar. 08, 2004

Super Size -- to go

BY KAREN ROBINSON-JACOBS
The Dallas Morning News

Chad Johnson doesn't apologize for eating a lot. He changes truck tires for a living. It's strenuous work that he says burns a lot of fuel. So he had no stomach for a decision last week by McDonald's Corp. to slice Super Size french fries and soft drinks from its menu.

"That's messed up," said Johnson, 20, pausing between bites of a Double Quarter Pounder and Super Size fries at a McDonald's restaurant in downtown Dallas. He had a Super Size drink and extra Quarter Pounder on the side.

"I'm a big fellow," he said. "It's my money and that's what I want to eat. Why do they have to mess with that?"

Depending on your view, the issue is either simplicity or damage control.

For McDonald's, the Super Size offerings have become a lightning rod that made the company the object of scorn from obesity lawyers, a movie director and super-sized patrons who all blame the world's largest restaurant chain for expanding the nation's waistline.

Finger-pointing

The company announced that in revamping its "core menu," it will phase out the 7-ounce French fries and 42-ounce sodas ordered as part of a Super Sized meal.

By the end of this year, the items will be removed from the menu in all 13,000 U.S. stores -- both franchised and company-owned -- though the company said it may offer them as promotional items for limited periods.

McDonald's, based in Oak Brook, Ill., has been sued twice for allegedly contributing to obesity and related ailments in patrons who said they dined regularly on McDonald's fare.

At a gathering in Boston last summer, health professionals and trial lawyers mulled even more ways to hold the restaurant industry -- and fast food companies specifically -- legally responsible for the nation's obesity epidemic.

In addition, the independent film, "Super Size Me," in which director Morgan Spurlock suffers ill health after dining on only McDonald's for a month, is expected to shine a negative light on fast food portions when it comes out this summer.

"Whether it's a legal issue or PR issue, I think they feel, 'Let's just take this issue off the table and give everyone one less reason to blame McDonald's,' " said Ron Paul, president of Technomic, Inc., a Chicago-based restaurant consulting firm. "There's a lot of finger pointing going on."

Simpler menus

McDonald's said the move is part of an overall campaign, begun two years ago, to revamp its menu and is unrelated to lawsuits or unflattering films.

"It has nothing to do with this documentary," said McDonald's spokesman William Whitman, who said Super-Sizing accounts for less than 10 percent of the chain's meal orders.

"There is no connection between this initiative and anything else other than simplification of the restaurant menu and offering a simplified, consistent, relevant menu to our customers."

With the subtraction of the mondo-sized French fries and sodas, the company will have three sizes of fries -- ranging from 2.6 ounce, (the average serving size a few decades ago) to 6 ounce -- and four soda sizes. They will range from 12 ounces to 32 ounces.

Both rationales are equally valid, restaurant analysts said. Menu shrinkage will help solve the company's speed-of-service problems, and the move helps offer ammunition against lawsuits.

"Their operations will probably benefit from a simplification of their menu and they're also probably concerned about lawsuits and about appearing health conscious to consumers," said Dennis Milton, Standard & Poor's restaurants equity analyst.

Counting calories

It costs food servers little, in terms of incremental food costs, to bump up the size of fries, or even movie theater popcorn. In the case of the fries, fast-food restaurants can charge an extra 30 cents or more for the larger size, which helps expand the average check.

But it can also expand your belly.

A Super Size order of fries has 160 more calories, and 7 more grams of fat than a medium order, according to the chain's Web site.

A super size Coke has 410 calories while a large Coke is 310. A large Coke contains 21.5 teaspoons of sugar, or about one-third of a cup, while you'd get 28 teaspoons of sugar in a super-size Coke, said Lewis Pincus, medical director of the Weight Management Institute at Dallas-based Methodist Health System.

As the nation has grown increasingly alarmed about the health effects of eating sugar and fat-laden foods, McDonald's downsizing can help the company reap perception points.

"I'd say it's more about the PR and avoiding lawsuits and it has the added value of simplifying operations," said Milton. "This is going to help them in the media," he added.

The nation's major chains didn't immediately follow suit. Ohio-based Wendy's International, which operates the nation's No. 3 burger chain, has no immediate plans to downsize its Biggie drink, which is 32 ounces, or Great Biggie fries, which weigh in at 6.7 ounces.

But the company, which led the industry with the introduction of premium salads in 2002 plans to expand its healthful menu with a spinach salad offering this spring, said Wendy's spokesman Bob Bertini. The chain is testing the option of substituting fruit for fries in kid's meals.

Milton said that even if chains do not drop over-sized fries from the menu, he expects them to play down their marketing.

[Momof2pugz]

I was in McD's last week and low and behold, they still had SuperSizing on their menu.

Hmmmm....

Maybe it is taking them awhile to implement their new program.

[Kathryn In Canada]

I don't care if they have a large fries or not.

What I care about is the discriminatory pricing. Last week I went in for lunch. I had enough points and wanted a grilled chicken sandwich and a small fry (instead of a salad) and child size diet drink (why pay for a larger size when they have free refills?)

So I ordered just that. Then I had her reprice the meal ordering a #10 on our menu (grilled chicken, medium fries, medium drink.) Sure enough, that was $1.40 cheaper than what I had ordered!

I ended up going for the cheaper meal (I'm frugal and paying almost 25% extra to order the smaller meal went against my grain), but ate the extra fries and ended up having to work out harder and longer and use more flex points in order to compensate for the higher cost in points. I still stayed OP but it was much more difficult.

Next time, since I know I can't not eat the fries if they are on my tray, I'll take a napkin and dump the extras on that and hand them to the manager when they are served to me. Perhaps then, McDonald's management will start to understand why we are so angry with them and why they are being blamed for the fattening of America.

If you want to eat a lot of junk food, that's ok because it's not completely my business (it is, partly, because I'm in Canada where my taxes pay for your health care). But to set a pricing policy making it more economical to eat more food rather than less seems ridiculous to me.

In Canada, Harvey's has (had? I don't go into fast food places much anymore!) a different scheme. Buy a sandwich (beef or chicken) and get 2 sides at a reduced price. The sides can be anything from fries, rings, salad or drink. In other words, choose your poison but if you want something healthy, that's ok with them, you aren't punished economically. That's a much better way to do 'add on' marketing.

[Moonbeams11]

Originally posted by SusieKew:
it was pointed out that the difference between a supersize fries and the large fries was only 18 friesFYI: per WW online, 1 serving of fries contains 20 fries & has 10 points.

[ashlee]

I've never been much interested in fast food places, before WW. even. I'm about 2 blocks from Tim Horton's and pass it every day and maybe go in there for a coffee (with a friend) a couple times a year.

Ashlee

[faith2002girl]

I think it's a good thing that they are making changes. smile.gif Looks like a lot of them are trying to make changes or atleast adding some salads and healthy stuff to their menus. I know Wendy's has different salads but you still have to be careful because unless you ask for the low fat dressing, their dressings are brutal! I liked their spinach salad and the funny thing is, I didn't need any salad dressing to go with it. I find that I can eat some salads with little or no dressing, it just depends on the lettuce they use, LOL, some looks like weeds and taste horrible!

Tammy smile.gif