Jessica Nascimento went to McDonald’s for her favorite frappe, but she soon realized it would cost her more than she expected.
McDonald’s Corp. announced Wednesday it will begin to include calorie information on restaurant and drive-thru menus nationwide.
Though Nascimento still got the frappe, she said she was surprised by the numbers on other menu items.
“People could see 1,000 calories and get turned off,” the 19-year-old telecommunication junior said.
The calorie information is part of a larger nutrition-geared initiative announced by McDonald’s in July 2011. McDonald’s also published a nutrition progress report and added changes to the 2013 menu that will include food groups recommended by the Department of Agriculture.
“I think McDonald’s is doing it, because they have really committed themselves to nutrition,” said Gainesville McDonald’s spokeswoman Katelea Burkhart. “We changed the Happy Meal to include apple slices, and this is just another step in educating the customers.”
Bobbi Langkamp-Henken, a UF food science and human nutrition professor, said it can be daunting to educate the public about nutrition.
“Everyone underestimates how many calories you require each day,” she said. “If you don’t know how many calories you need, how do you interpret the calorie board?”
However, Langkamp-Henken said she is glad that the fast-food chain is taking steps to be health conscious.
“I’m interested in how many calories are in each thing so I can make an informed decision,” she said.
Contact Shelby Webb at swebb@alligator.org.
McDonald’s announced Wednesday it will start to include calorie information on its menus. A Big Mac is 550 calories, and a 10-piece McNuggets is 470 calories, according to the McDonald’s website.
