McDonald’s to hit 2 Billion Fruit and Go-Gurt Sides Served to US families in 2016

January 19, 2016

As part of McDonald’s ongoing commitment to help make nutrition-minded choices fun and easy for families, McDonald’s has re-introduced Cuties as a seasonal, fresh fruit side choice in Happy Meals as well as an à la carte snack option. We’re proud to have increased access to key food groups and our customers are increasingly making more wholesome choices when they dine with us. 
 
The numbers are staggering – McDonald’s expects to end 2016 with more than 2 billion fruit or low fat dairy sides served in kids’ meals since 2012. That’s approximately 27 sides for every kid in America (based on the number of kids cited in the Annie E. Casey Foundation Study, which used 2010 Census data of 74.2 million kids). 
 

  • Between January 2012 and October 2015, total fruit (Apples & Cuties) and low fat dairy (Go-GURT) sides served in kids’ meals was more than 1.7 billion
    • That’s approximately 24 sides for every kid in America (based on the number of kids cited in the Annie E. Casey Foundation Study, which used 2010 Census data of 74.2 million kids)
    • By the end of 2016, this number is expected to rise to 27 sides for every kid in America
  • Since 2012, our kids meals have included more than:
    • 1.5 billion packages of apple slices (data as of October 2015)
    • 32.4 million Cuties
      • An additional 6 million Cuties served à la carte
      • Cuties are a popular Happy Meal choice. Last year, when in season, 1 in 5 Happy Meals included a Cutie.
      • Every Cutie provides an excellent source of vitamin C (35% of the recommended daily value).
    • 232 million tubes of Go-GURT (Introduced June of 2014, data as of October 2015)
      • An additional 7 million Go-GURT tubes were served à la carte·      
      • The Go-GURT low fat strawberry yogurt available at McDonald’s has 6g of sugar per 2.25 oz, while the leading kids’ yogurt has 9g of sugar per 2.25 oz.
  • All Cuties are grown in California and will be available during their peak season through early May
  • The return of Cuties is part of McDonald’s ongoing partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation on a Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to increase access to fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy and to help families make informed choices
  • Cuties support McDonald’s wellness efforts and 2015’s other food quality changes include offering freshly cracked grade-A eggs and adding kale and spinach to salads
  • McDonald’s ongoing commitment includes sourcing chicken raised without antibiotics important to human medicine in the U.S. by 2017 and transitioning to cage-free eggs over the next 10 years
  • Learn more about McDonald’s Global Partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation on a Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action with the video here: http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/sustainability/food/clinton-global-initiative.html