Health Conscious McDonalds & Wendy’s

Health Conscious McDonalds & Wendy’s

Mike Wold

McDonalds and Wendy’s are considered two of the largest retail food services on earth; the company’s primarily sells burgers and fries, but now it’s an entirely different story. From the Big Mac, to the Premium Grilled Chicken Club and classic Cheeseburger, McDonald’s and Wendy’s sandwiches are the life force for many poor individuals. People love these specialties, but nowadays the retail food chain faces a dilemma. Furthermore, McDonald’s and Wendy’s has been the target of much criticism in recent years for serving large amounts of foods high in saturated fat, salt, sugar and calories. We’ve seen an increase in health conscientiousness in many major sections of the world especially in the US, and the food giant has had to evolve beyond its common popular scope. The company’s responded to this criticism by introducing healthier menu choices, adjusting portion sizes and reducing salt and sugar content. So instead of suffering from this increased awareness, they’ve managed to remain atop the competition

On McDonald’s and Wendy’s websites customers can view their favorite burgers and others delicacies and be able to view the nutritional information. For example, consumers who click on a Big Mac (or hover the mouse over the picture) can see that the famous burger contains the following information: Calories 540, Total Fat 28g (DV 43%), Carbs 47g (DV 16%), Protein 25g, and Sodium 970mg (DV 40%). How about the Premium Grilled Chicken Club and Classic Cheeseburger. Premium Chicken Club: Calories 610, Total Fat 26g (DV 39%), Carbs 50g (DV 17%), Protein 45g, and Sodium 1750mg (DV 73%). Classic Cheeseburger: Calories 300, Total Fat 12g (DV 18%), Carbs 33g (DV 11%), Protein 15g, and Sodium 680mg (DV 29%). [All this information was taken directly from the McDonalds website]. Wendy’s Sandwiches possess a similar. Along with revealing the nutrition facts, consumers are now given an assortment of new healthy food choices at the menu when they walk into the store and peruse the meal options. There are under 400 calorie diet options, salads and other marketing ploys.

We are left with a different McDonalds and Wendy’s, today. One that is more health oriented, but one which also manages to maintain business despite its initial pitfalls. They’ve successfully addressed the issues of the healthy community and tailored both their menu, website, and in store experience to accommodate a more informed and progressive culture. Not all bases are successfully covered, however, gluten free still remains an area and faction which they have not seriously attempted to placate. Sure there are salads and produce more fresh, but throw in some healthy gluten free burgers and open a gluten free menu option. One pitfalls with a two sided result to a healthier menu, is a decrease in regular customer sales, but an increase in overall sales profit with the addition of the new healthy consumers.  

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