Nutrition information will now be written on the majority of McDonald's product packaging using an easy-to-understand icon and bar chart format.
This move, a first for the fast-food industry, is the newest transparency initiative in the company's 30-year record of providing nutrition information to help customers make informed choices.
The new packaging will be unveiled beginning in the first half of 2006 in restaurants in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. McDonald's is currently working with its packaging suppliers to ramp up production to meet the demands of this new worldwide packaging program.
By the end of 2006, McDonald's plans to have nutrition information featured on packaging in more than 20,000 of its restaurants. The remaining restaurants will implement nutrition information on packaging as it becomes locally relevant and commercially feasible.
The new packaging will debut at McDonald's restaurants at the Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy in February.
"Customers are coming to McDonald's in record numbers, and we take their trust in our brand very seriously. That's why we want them to have easy-to- understand nutrition information about our great-tasting food and wide range of menu options.
We are putting the information customers need literally into their hands," says Jim Skinner, McDonald's Chief Executive Officer. "This initiative makes it easier than ever to understand the quality that goes into our food. We're very confident that the more information people have, the more they will like what they see at McDonald's."
