Just The Facts
McDonald's gets plenty of bad press for their gigantic portions, saturated fat laden fries, and child-focused junk food marketing -- so we thought it only fair to give credit where credit is due. Mickey D's does deserve kudos for their announcement that starting in 2006, they will be offering nutritional information for each of their menu items on the food packaging itself.
Food wrappers will include calorie, fat, carbohydrate, protein, and sodium information - both in total grams and as a percentage of the USDA recommended daily value for each nutrient. Like many other fast food establishments, McDonald's already offers this information on their corporate website and in printed form by request at their restaurants. The move to put it right on the food is unprecedented in the fast-food industry, however, and will be a useful tool for people with diabetes to figure that burger into their meal plan. Still, this doesn't let the company off the hook for its much maligned menu offerings. As one consumer watchdog group put it, what we really need is for McDonalds to put this information right on the menu so people can view it before ordering.