Farewell Cheeseburgers: McDonald's Makes Changes To Happy Meal

OAK BROOK, IL — McDonald's is making some major changes to one of their beloved menu items in an effort to promote healthy eating among children. The Happy Meal will no longer include cheeseburgers as an option; customers will only be able to get them by request. The changes also include a reduction in calories in chocolate milk and juice.

"Given our scale and reach, we hope these actions will bring more choices to consumers and uniquely benefit millions of families," McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbook said in a news release.

The company is working with Alliance for Healthier Generation to put goals into action that will offer more balanced meals made with simplified ingredients and more transparent nutritional information. McDonald's will also rethink how it markets Happy Meals in an effort to push the new low-fat and low-sodium Happy Meal options.

By 2018, the calorie count in Happy Meals will be under 600 calories across the board, according to McDonald's. What comes in your child's Happy Meal will change to meet new criteria for less saturated fat and added sugar, in addition to less sodium.

The official Happy Meal changes will slice added sugar by roughly one half and reduce calorie content by an average of 20%. The changes include:

• Eliminating cheeseburgers from the Happy Meal menu. Guests can choose hamburgers or four- or six-piece chicken nuggets
• Replacing the small french fries in a six-piece nugget meal with kid-sized french fries
• Reducing the added sugar in chocolate milk
• Adding bottled water as a drink option in Happy Meals

The fast food giant plans to roll out all the Happy Meal changes globally by 2022.

>>>Photo credit: AP Photos/Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press