Food wrappers at McDonald's restaurants across the globe will soon be giving customers a much better idea of what they are eating.
The company said last night that bar charts of nutritional information would be printed on all packaging to describe the protein, fat, carbohydrates, sodium content and the number of calories each food item contains and what that means in terms of a percentage of daily recommended intake.
The wrappers will show that a Big Mac contains almost half their recommended daily fat intake
'This is a first in the food industry,' chief executive officer Jim Skinner said at a press conference at the company's flagship restaurant in downtown Chicago.
The new packaging will be launched in February at the Winter Olympics in Turin in Italy. It will be introduced in the US in March and should be in 20,000 of McDonald's 30,000 restaurants by the end of 2006.
It is part of a broader initiative to promote a balanced lifestyle and introduce healthful menu items. McDonald's has already made nutritional information available through tray liners, brochures and its website.
McDonald's has been dogged by a consumer backlash against fattening food and a number of high profile lawsuits from customers who argued that they became obese as a result of McDonald's food.
