Only Half of McDonald's Happy Meals Now Ordered With Soda

In 2013, global fast food icon McDonald’s partnered with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to set five wellness goals to meet by 2020. Two of the goals included providing Happy Meal customers (usually children) with a healthier substitute for their side of fries—salad, fruit or vegetable—as well as promoting bottled water, milk and juice in place of soda, according to an article by Nation’s Restaurant News.

In an independent progress report, Keybridge, a public policy economic consulting firm, has found that the majority of McDonald’s markets have met those two goals ahead of schedule, with the remaining markets on pace for 2020, according to the article.

As of September 2018, 48% of customers in 20 global markets skipped the soda—up from 36% in September 2013. The global chain offers 161 types of healthy options around the world, like grape tomatoes in Australia, corn cups in Taiwan, and heart-shaped carrots in Austria, according to the article.

Domestically, 52% of U.S. Happy Meal eaters ordered an alternative beverage, up from 37% in 2013. Nation’s Restaurant News notes that while soda is still an option for Happy Meals, McDonald’s removed it from its menu boards in 2013.

“This work measures and demonstrates the positive impact we’re having as we build a better McDonald’s and use our scale as a force for good,” Julia Braun, head of global nutrition at McDonald’s Corp., told Nation’s Restaurant News.