Balance of Food

McDonald's wants to make it easier to get nutritional info. Not on the wall, not on pamphlets you have to beg for, not even on the back of the placemat (its current location). Starting with the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, McDonald's will be the first fast-food company to print detailed nutritional information about its products on the packaging. The company said the new packaging will be introduced in Italy and then rolled out to North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America in the first half of 2006. On the wrapper, the chain will include a small information box delineating five nutritional facts: calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates and sodium contents. I am impressed that sodium gets to be one of the five categories. Sodium is a major issue in the fast food realm that doesn't get enough notice. But again, I wonder if this overall move is that big a deal. The last few times at McD's, I've read the nutritional info on the back of the placemat. BTW, the info on the back of the placemat is more thorough, and includes info for the other choices I coud have made. After all in the new system, if I order the Quarter Pounder, I only have info on that sandwich on my wrapper. If it actually helps customers make better informed decisions, the new wrappers will be worth it. The question is will that happen.