Cindy Goody, senior director of nutrition for McDonald’s USA, said when the program was announced: “It’s a new reason to visit more often.” Indirectly, that means customers can get fatter faster. How many hamburger eaters will turn into salad eaters because they are told how many calories are in the foods they like? There is no reason to think that carnivores will become vegetarians. Most McDonald’s customers probably know that buckets of french fries and thick shakes are not low-calorie items.
Health advocates think the decision by McDonald’s is a victory for them. The action by a company as large as McDonald’s will prompt other restaurant chains follow suit. At some point, even the smallest restaurant in America will post the nutritional value of what it serves.
Health advocates actually cannot brag about any victory at all. The worst foods, from the standpoint of health, will stay on the McDonald’s menu. The company might even introduce products that have higher calories counts than food it serves at its locations now. It cannot be assumed that a label that shows a meal has 1,500 calories will make people turn to something more slimming.
Douglas A. McIntyre
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