More changes are coming to the beloved McDonald’s Happy Meal. While the classic Happy Meal is a mainstay, McDonald’s has announced that they’re removing items from the menu in an effort to help curb the increase in child obesity. Chocolate milk and cheeseburgers will no longer be, at least visually, on the menu. McDonald’s wants to “offer more balanced meals” for children, and the extra sugar in chocolate milk and cheese on the burger didn’t make the cut.
McDonald’s has also promised to cut the number of calories on the Happy Meal menu by 50%, bringing options down to 600 or fewer calories. Of those 600 calories, only 10% will come from sugar and the same amount of saturated fats. Happy Meals will meet a benchmark of 650 milligrams of sodium. Expect by June 2018 to see all of McDonald’s Happy Meal to contain fewer than 600 calories.
While Americans will no longer see chocolate milk and cheeseburgers on the menu, both items are available upon request. The fast-food chain does plan to re-release chocolate milk once they figure out how to reduce its overall sugar content.
