McDonald’s has introduced a healthier cooking oil to make its French fries, which are eaten around the world for their unique taste. Even though the global food industry is under increasing scrutiny over its responsibility for the state of public health in America, the gamble of altering a proven product is far from certain to pay off.
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McDonald’s will reduce the level of trans fatty acids (TFAs) in its French fries, although the total fat content will remain unchanged. TFAs are feared to be as much or more a risk for heart disease as saturated fats. The level of TFAs in McDonald’s fries will shrink 47%, saturated fat will drop 16% and polyunsaturated fat will increase by 167%.
The risk of changing the formula is the impact it may have on the taste of the fries, which many fast food chains have tried to replicate without success. There are two parts to this risk. Firstly, there is no guarantee that a ‘better for you’ alternative of an essentially unhealthy food will succeed. Many consumers eat and drink according to a ‘debits and credits’ principle that sees them balance healthy eating with periods of bad or indulgent consumption. For example, eating a healthy yogurt at breakfast enables consumers to indulge in a sausage sandwich later on.
So McDonald’s new fries may have the double impact of not satisfying either those looking to indulge themselves or those wanting healthy fast food. McDonald’s claims that 97% of consumers in a taste test could not tell the difference, but time will tell.
Secondly, despite the dangers of TFAs, they are not as widely known about by consumers as the danger of eating too many calories. Since the new fries will have an unchanged calorie content, McDonald’s needs to ask itself – will enough people care?
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By GlobalDataThere is mounting pressure from US consumers and public health authorities for food giants to account for their alleged responsibility in creating an unhealthy nation. However, this move is not a knee-jerk reaction to the case of a 272-pound man suing McDonald’s for allegedly causing his obesity: the company has undoubtedly been preparing it for a long time.
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