Corporate Responses to America’s Obesity Problem

McDonald’s Response

Giving back to the communities that we serve is ingrained into the McDonald’s business philosophy just as much as the golden arches that symbolize the brand itself. 

McDonald’s restaurants create jobs, pay taxes and contribute to the local communities where we do business. McDonald’s and our franchisees support growth and promote redevelopment of low-income areas. We believe in these neighborhoods and in everyone’s ability to affect change. We hope to be part of that change for a long time to come. 

To suggest that any single business or group of businesses is responsible for the obesity problem is at best inaccurate, and, at worst, irresponsible. We’re proud of the taste, quality, value and variety our menu provides. McDonald’s offers a range of serving sizes that can be combined to create meal combinations that fall within recommended guidelines for calories, fat, sodium and other important nutrients.

McDonald’s is committed to providing our customers with comprehensive nutrition information on our menu, so they can make informed decisions that are right for them and their families, whenever and wherever they visit us. In fact, McDonald’s has provided this information for more than three decades. Nutrition information is currently available on our Web site, via a toll-free telephone number, on select product packaging, in-restaurant nutrition brochures and on the back of trayliners in nearly 14,000 McDonald’s restaurants throughout the United States. As always, McDonald’s wants to be a good, socially responsible neighbor, no matter where we are.

Danya Proud, Spokesperson

McDonald’s USA

Burger King’s Response

BK Positive Steps® in Nutrition Statement:

At Burger King Corp., we are committed to helping our guests eat and live better by promoting balanced diets and active lifestyle choices as part of the BK Positive Steps® corporate social responsibility program. In furtherance of this commitment, we are continually exploring a number of ways to help promote nutrition education to our guests in a manner that will have a meaningful impact on their nutritional choices.

We are fully compliant with local regulations that require us to post calories on our restaurant menu boards, and we require that all BURGER KING® restaurants nationwide feature a detailed nutrition poster in a visible and prominent location near the counter for our customers to see when ordering and purchasing menu items. In addition, BKC requires that every restaurant make nutrition brochures available for customers.

Burger King Corp. is also making it even easier for customers to choose meals that fit their individual diets and lifestyles, by identifying more than 350 BURGER KING® meal combinations that provide 650 calories or less. Examples of these meal combinations are featured on tray liners, queue signs and window decals at participating BURGER KING restaurants nationwide, as well as available online at www.bk.com along with detailed nutrition information for all U.S. menu items.

Yum! Brands’ Response

Yum! Brands recognizes that eating habits vary from society to society based on differences in local food preferences and culture. We believe a balanced diet consists of a variety of foods from the recognized food groups such as grains/rice/cereals; vegetables; dairy; meat/beans; fats; fruits; and optional calories from sweets. We will strive to proactively improve the nutrition profile of our high quality food content, while providing great taste. We always will offer a variety of menu options at each of our brands that can be part of a sensibly-balanced diet. We will educate consumers about our product nutrition and support exercise programs. We want consumers to make informed choices about their balanced diet and incorporate exercise into a healthy lifestyle.

In addition to nutritional brochures available in stores, consumers can download a printable version by visiting any of the company’s websites. We are also pleased to announce KFC and Taco Bell converted all its U.S. restaurants to zero grams of trans fat cooking oil at the end of April 2007.

http://www.yum.com/company/nutrition.asp

Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent’s Response

Coca-Cola North America has joined the U.S. beverage industry in announcing our support for Mrs. Obama’s initiative with a “Clear on Calories” commitment. This commitment from our U.S. business includes:

Product Labels: We will display total calorie counts on the front of nearly all containers up to and including 20 ounces; multi-serve packaging will be labeled using a 12-ounce serving (as well as number of servings per package) for nearly all beverages.  One hundred percent juices will continue to use an 8-ounce serving size.

Company-controlled Vending Machine Labels: Total calorie counts displayed on selection buttons.

Company-controlled Fountain Equipment Labels: Total calorie counts displayed prominently.

This commitment builds on the leadership role we established in the industry last December when we announced our intention to provide front-of-package calorie labeling for nearly all of our products globally by 2012.  This phased process will start this year and will include close coordination between our industry and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that information on the front and back of packages is consistent. 

Susan Neely, President and CEO of the American Beverage Association responds to taxing soft drinks:

We think a tax is not an effective way to achieve the goals of ending obesity in a generation. Ultimately what you have to do is change people’s behavior. We are trying to empower people by giving them better information and information which is more accessible. A tax will raise the price of the product, but then what? How is that going to change people’s behavior. They need to count their calories across the board. Raising the price on one product as a strategy to eliminate obesity just won’t work. The two states that have that kind of tax in place, West Virginia and Arkansas, have among the highest obesity rates in the country. They are in the Top 10 according to the CDC statistics. So that is real bold example that it hasn’t been effective.

Kraft Foods’ Response

Health and wellness is a high priority for Kraft Foods and we are accelerating our efforts in this area. Our research shows that more than 90 percent of consumers want to eat more healthfully but still want to enjoy the foods they love. That’s where we come in. Since 2004, we’ve reformulated about 25 percent of our portfolio in the US to improve the nutrition profile while maintaining the tastes consumers expect. Today, we continue to move forward, focusing on two fronts to deliver better options that taste great: reformulation of existing products and new product innovations.

Reformulation — we are reducing sodium, fat, added sugars and calories and increasing beneficial nutrients

We recently announced a 10% average sodium reduction across our North American portfolio over the next two years. This will impact some of our most beloved and best selling brands, such as Oscar Mayer Bologna, some flavors of Easy Mac Cups and Velveeta.

We improved our line of 2% Milk reduced fat cheese so that it tastes as good as regular cheese.

We increased the whole grain content in Wheat Thins crackers and plan to do the same on Honey Maid graham crackers and Teddy Grahams.

Innovation – we are launching new products with healthful nutrition profiles and offering more portion-controlled choices

We recently add cheese cubes to our 100 Calorie Packs line, a category that Kraft Foods pioneered in 2004.

Also now on shelves are sugar free Jell-O Mousse Temptations in Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Caramel Creme with 60 calories per serving.

We recently introduced a new line of Lunchables Lunch Combinations with whole grains, reduced fat cheese, lean meat, applesauce and spring water.

We also provide information, tools, resources and support for making healthful living easier. Our Web site, kraftfoods.com, has more than 8,000 recipes, a full 25 percent of which are “healthy living.” We are also a proud founding member of the Healthy Weight Commitment and support such community programs as Fuel Up to Play 60 and Salsa, Sabor y Salud, for Latino children and their families, all of which promote healthy eating and physical activity.