Despite efforts from McDonald’s to increase healthy options over the last few decades, a leaflet printed in 1989 has shown that the salt and sugar content has increased across the menu.
The leaflet, from the UK restaurants, displays nutritional content of various menu items and shows that the burgers in 2018 contain a fifth of the protein of their 1989 counterparts. A Big Mac in 1989 contained 4g of sugar, but 2018 has seen that increase by 221 percent to 9g.
A spokesperson from McDonald’s UK responded to the allegations.
“Since 2005, we’ve reduced the salt content across our entire menu by nearly 35 per cent, the trans-fat content of our cooking oil by 94 per cent and saturated fat by 83 per cent, and almost 90 per cent of our standard food and drink items now contain fewer than 500 calories.
“For more than 30 years we have provided clear nutritional information, at point of sale and on tray liners, to help our customers make informed choices, and our menu has evolved over the years so it provides more choice than ever from salads, to wraps, to coffee, to fruit bags.”
The discovery of the leaflet comes at a fraught time for the UK fast food industry, with new guidelines stating that lunches must be below 600 calories in total. Very few McDonald’s meals fit under these criteria.
