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McDonald’s becomes more transparent

McDonald’s Arabia said on Monday the company takes lead in GCC’s quick service restaurant sector by labelling nutrition information directly on food packaging.

New packaging is now being rolled out across more than 360 restaurants in the GCC, according to McDonald’s Middle East and Africa managing director Yousif Abdulghani.

“The GCC will act as a springboard for this important initiative, and it is expected that several key markets across the region will follow suit in the near future,” Abdulghani told a news conference in Dubai. The labels on McDonald’s packaging include five key nutrition components, which are calories, proteins, total fat, carbohydrates, and sodium; additional nutrition components can be found on McDonald’s Arabia’s website.

The move is designed to make the information more accessible and visible, and to help customers make informed choices about the food they eat. Nutrition information has been available in McDonald’s restaurants and to its customers since 2002 on tray-mats and fliers, and is also posted on its website.

“Consumers’ changing needs are helping us to offer more choices, better service, and better value. People are changing their eating habits — there is more “out-of-home” consumption, they want convenience, they care about health and nutrition. They want to know more about their food, how it is prepared and where it comes from. They are hungry for information and demand transparency from companies,” Abdulghani said.

Quality is No.1 motto of the company, he said, adding: “Our food is 100 per cent beef.” He ruled out any possibility of horsemeat in McDonald food.

Almost two decades ago McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “With a market share of 35 per cent, last year, our total GCC revenues reached $750 million. And we have been growing between 15 to 20 per cent year-on-year in the Gulf. By 2015, we aim to reach 585 restaurants in the GCC alone,” he added.

Since 2006, McDonald’s Arabia has been opening the doors of its kitchens to all customers interested in taking a closer look at the quality standards of staff, products and procedures.

The Open Door Programme is a chance for customers to learn about McDonald’s commitment to the high quality, safety and cleanliness measures that are implemented in food preparation.

abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com