McDonald's Happy Meal Ads Get Health-Focused Revamp

McDonald's has long been criticized for luring kids through the Golden Arches, towards a lifetime of unhealthy eating, using toys and clowns. But, as AdAge first reported, the world's biggest restaurant chain will soon take a new tack in its advertising for kids -- one focused on the healthy side of its Happy Meals.

If you haven't been to a McDonald's recently, you might be surprised to learn that Happy Meals even have a "healthy side." But when critics, most notably Michelle Obama, started to ramp up their attacks, the fast food chain responded by downsizing and upfruiting its kids' meals.

The new ads will feature a boy, Ferris, who learns to eat healthy food (like apple slices), presumably with the help of his local McDonald's. The commercials make their world debut this Friday.

The Chicago Tribune's Emily Bryson York has a great story on the new ads, in which she talks to several health advocates who applaud the new emphasis on health. Some detractors, though, have harsh words for what they see as McDonald's exploitation of impressionable children; they say that parents, not food companies, should teach children how to eat healthily.

Here's the ad:

Comments

[WWNYC]

10:46 AM on 03/09/2012

It's tough to point the blame solely at McDonalds. Growing up and esp. in my teens, I ate it quite often (few times a month). However, if you eat this 5-7 days out of the week, your gonna have health problems. How do you prevent that from happening? Better parenting. Simple as that.

[Bettye Cart]

03:43 PM on 03/08/2012

Where is Super Size Me guy? Sadly, very sadly, my son attended his friends father's funeral. The Dad owned and managed several McDonalds franchises and died of cancer. The atrocity of food insulting our bodies is beyond horrible. If they went healthy like gluten free hamburger buns, organic free range burgers, offering also buffalo burgers, vegi burgers, if they didn't sugar their fries but instead tossed them with cayenne and a little bit of olive oil, if they had OPTIONS for goat yogurt or dairy free shakes and really healthy salads then they can call it healthy happy meals.

[CarolLee]

04:31 PM on 03/07/2012

McDonald's, you are disgusting for all the years you sold pink slime.

[MamaShoob]

12:04 PM on 03/07/2012

I don't understand how the fast food industry has become the thing to blame for childhood obesity problems in the US. It's not the fast food restaurants, it's that their parents who are taking them to eat McDonalds, Burger King, etc. more than once in a while for a treat. When I was a kid, and I'm only 35, my Mom cooked dinner 5 nights, and so do I, even working full time. Once every other week during payday week, my husband and I get pizza for us and the kids or (gasp!) McDonalds. I'm not perfect in anyway, but place the blame where it belongs, if you're not invested in the health of your child and show them good eating habits it's YOUR fault, not McDonalds.

[ChefTimMoore]

12:01 PM on 03/07/2012

This is so sad when every child born since the year 2000 , one out of three will be a diabetic and to say these meals are healthy is a joke. In the book ''47 Tips To Reverse Your Diabetes'' it give some sure but proven way to reverse your diabetes if you try. http://www.cheftimothymoore.com

[spyboyz]

11:02 AM on 03/07/2012

Too bad the apple slices come with a side of caramel to dip each healthy slice in

[SteenyQ]

10:49 AM on 03/07/2012

When "Super Size Me" came out on video I made watching it a family event. I didn't care that my youngest son was only 4 at the time, it was important for him to see it. We haven't eaten McDonalds since then. My parents even stopped going.
As a result, my 16 and 10 year old sons will not eat fast food. Frankly, I don't see the point at all. I can just as easily call ahead to my favorite reasonably priced restaurant and place an order for pick-up. I can pick up a whole rotisserie chicken from the deli, whip together some tasty sides, and have a real meal for less money.
Sidebar: I worked at McDonalds when I was in high school many years ago. We called them "Sad Meals" because they were so awful

[mistergg69]

11:55 PM on 03/06/2012

I can't remember the last time I ate at Mcdonald's.

[ontariogirl]

11:33 PM on 03/06/2012

McDonald's and healthy in the same sentence just doesn't work for me.

[symmetricol]

07:35 PM on 03/07/2012

Almost to the word you posted my post!

[Another Random Guy]

04:06 PM on 03/06/2012

I don't understand why people demonize McDonald's for using brilliant business tactics to build its empire during a time when nobody knew the long-term effects of fast food. They advertised towards kids, and it worked.

I hope this movement doesn't get met with the same ignorant resistance that Disney World's attempt at encouraging healthy habits did.

[TenaciousMutt]

08:24 PM on 03/08/2012

You don't see a problem with targeting kids with marketing when they don't possess the cognitive capability to separate fact from fiction?

[Another Random Guy]

12:31 AM on 03/09/2012

No, I don't. Check the cereal aisle, they do the same thing. People know you can't say no to your kids, so they advertise accordingly.

Do you protest commercials on Nick Jr? Of course not.

[Ranveig Elvebakk]

03:51 PM on 03/06/2012

I cannot wait to see how one puts a healthy face on French Fries--

[pskk]

04:53 PM on 03/06/2012

Actually, I guess you didn't hear that congress considers potatoes a vegetable in our children's school lunches? Same with pizza, probably the sauce. I kid you not.

[squatmunkie]

07:07 PM on 03/06/2012

If french fries are not a vegetable when what are they? They may not be healthy but it's still a veggie.

[Ixionis]

03:37 PM on 03/06/2012

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? People complain that the commercials weren't pushing healthy food. They start pushing healthy food and people complain that they don't need to push healthy food and that it is the parents job. YOU'RE RIGHT! IT IS THE PARENTS JOB! If the parents did their job in the first place, they wouldn't be going to McDonalds every other night. They would make their kids a REAL dinner and sit down and eat it with them!

[Lisa Gershman Weiser]

03:27 PM on 03/06/2012

Lots of judgement on this board. What I may or may not feed my family is my choice and not up for discussion or judgement from others.

[plantbasedpunk]

05:58 PM on 03/06/2012

I don't think the issue is what YOU feed your family, but what McDonald's passes off as healthy. Calling a Happy Meal healthy is a bold faced lie. And yes, people are stupid enough to believe them. Labeling Chicken McNuggets healthy is like calling a gun a toy. They should not be allowed to get away with this.

[herp derpenstein]

11:36 AM on 03/07/2012

fanned. stjoshy is no more. i am he

[Danielle Q]

03:12 PM on 03/06/2012

teach your children about food... not saying everyone relies on fast food for lessons, but when I take my 5-yr old to a sit down restaurant, she never chooses french fries with her meal... if they offer some type of fruit, or rice, she springs for that instead. I love that restaurants are offering new choices to children, but they will still want the fries if you don't get them to like other stuff first... fast food is a treat. we eat it about once a month. and she gets water, not soda, with her meal...

[Lisa Gershman Weiser]

03:22 PM on 03/06/2012

Mine gets the fries at the restaurant most of the time since it's not something we ever pick up (not big on fast food) or ever have at our house and we eat out a restaurant with fries maybe twice/month. It's a sometimes food and we are fine with that since our child is a healthy eater overall.

[Lylian]

02:24 AM on 03/09/2012

I agree. Of the 21 meals in a week, when my kids were young (under 12) they eat 18 to 20 of their meals prepared from home - even school lunches and snacks. If on the odd occasions we go out and eat fast food and there are fries, no biggie. Also if they want sodas - no biggie either. Because we eat healthy at home and we DON'T buy soda or fruit juice at home. they drink water at home and eat the whole fruit, not just gulp down juice.

[Popopnano]

03:09 PM on 03/06/2012

Yay! We can have apples with our pink slime burgers!