McDonald's NZ partners with Weight Watchers

McDonald's NZ partners with Weight Watchers
Tags: Burger/Steak/BBQ, Food & Beverage, International
March 2, 2010 - Christa Hoyland

McDonald's is promoting its lighter side in New Zealand with a new partnership with Weight Watchers. The McDonald's New Zealand market is the first market in the world to offer customers Weight Watchers Approved Meals, the company announced today.

McDonald's has partnered with the world's leading weight management organization to offer customers three new meal combinations, each with a Weight Watchers points value of 6 ½ per meal. The Weight Watchers Approved Meals include:

Filet-O-Fish (330 calories, 14.9 grams of fat), Garden Side Salad (19 calories, 0.1 grams of fat before salad dressing) and medium diet drink or Pump mini bottled spring water
Six-Pack Chicken McNuggets (includes nugget sauce or ketchup) (269 calories and 18.8 fat grams before sauce), Garden Side Salad and medium diet drink or Pump mini
Sweet Chilli Seared Chicken Wrap (339 calories, 6 fat grams), medium diet drink or Pump mini.

In comparison, the McDonald's USA Web site lists the nutrition information for similar menu items: side salad with 20 calories and 0 grams of fat before salad dressing, Filet-O-Fish with 380 calories and 18 grams of fat, 6-pack McNuggets with 280 calories and 17 grams of fat, and the Snack Wrap with grilled chicken varieties vary from 80 to 90 calories and 3.5 grams to 4 grams of fat, depending on the sauce.

McDonald's New Zealand also promotes a variety of "Lighter Choices" on its Web site, each containing less than 10 grams of fat per average serving. Selections include a lightly toasted bagel with whipped butter and strawberry jam, 319 calories and 3.1 grams of fat; Banana Berry Smoothie, 303 calories and 3.1 grams of fat; and Seared Chicken Snack Wrap, 207 calories and 7.3 grams of fat.

Steps to achieve partnership

Mark Hawthorne, McDonald's New Zealand managing director, says the partnership was initiated for the growing number of customers interested in health and wellbeing. "It is a natural step for our company, which has made a number of significant and positive changes to our menu over the past few years," he said in a news release.

"We have partnered with Weight Watchers to give our customers more options when dining out and to help guide them in identifying meals they can enjoy as part of a balanced lifestyle," he said. "We are proud to be the only McDonald's in the world, and certainly the only branded food chain in New Zealand, to offer customers Weight Watchers Approved Meals — the partnership is a reflection of the work we have put into changing the face of our business and our menu."

McDonald's New Zealand, which has 150 locations nationwide, was able to meet Weight Watchers' requirements by making several improvements in recent years, Hawthorne said. Those improvements include switching to a healthier canola blend cooking oil, resulting in 60 percent less saturated fat in the chain's Filet-O-Fish and Chicken McNuggets contain than they contained six years ago. The chain also introduced salads, high fiber tortilla wraps and seared chicken as well as reduced sugar levels in its buns and lowered sodium levels in some dipping sauces.

Emma Stirling, Weight Watchers nutrition advisor Australasia, said she believes the partnership is positive for both Weight Watchers members and McDonald's customers alike.

"Our philosophy at Weight Watchers is that all food can be part of a healthy, balanced diet taking into account portion control and frequency. We know McDonald's is one of New

Zealand's largest food and beverage providers and a popular choice for Kiwis, so we worked in partnership with them to help guide people when they're eating out," she said.

Weight Watchers director of business development Chris Stirk says the partnership, which is the first of its kind, is testament to the work McDonald's New Zealand has undertaken to lead the way in changing the face of the quick-service industry.

"The partnership has been made possible due to the positive changes McDonald's New Zealand has independently made to its menu items over the past few years," Stirk said. "McDonald's takes its responsibilities in this partnership very seriously. They have robust training for staff, are already strict with portion control, and provide accurate nutritional information on all menu items. Together with the food, these aspects are also important to supporting customer choice.

"While this partnership may be unexpected, the new Weight Watchers Approved Meals are part of our philosophy that you can enjoy life and all it has to offer while still achieving your weight loss goals," he said.

The Weight Watchers approved meals are available as a menu option at McDonald's restaurants nationwide from starting today, according to the news release.

McDonald's USA focused on promoting fitness

McDonald's USA spokeswoman Ashlee Yingling said the U.S. market has no immediate plans to partner with Weight Watchers but is continuing its efforts "to help people understand how to strike the right balance between diet and physical activity."

For example, the company launches its One Minute to Move It program a November 2008. The global children's well-being program was designed to encourage kids to see what a difference a minute of physical activity can make.

"It is not simply a result of consuming too many calories — it is equally the result of burning too few," she said. "McDonald's offers a variety of great-tasting, quality food choices in a number of serving sizes to fit many nutritional needs."

Criticism

Taco Bell drew extensive criticism from health advocates and dietitians for its new Drive-Thru Diet pomotion, and critics are already chiming in against the McDonald's and Weight Watchers partnership, including health experts in New Zealand. Television New Zealand reports that critics are concerned that the promotion may lure people into McDonald's, where they will likely opt for high fat options instead of the few better-for-you ones.

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"McDonalds is simply going to widen its consumer base so people who previously wouldn't go into McDonalds may now feel this is an option," says Fight the Obesity Epidemic spokeswoman Robyn Toomath.

Toomath wants to see New Zealanders consume less of the high energy, low nutrient value foods - the kind of food they currently get from McDonalds.

"McDonalds and Weight Watchers may well say it's not a marketing ploy, and they may even desperately wish that people would go in there and choose healthier foods, but the question is - will they do that?"