全球最大的速食龍頭 McDonald’s 明年初將為美國的消費者提供健康新選擇，其套餐中的薯條可以選擇沙拉作為替代，而且不加價！麥當勞說，其實這樣的作法在部分國家已經行之有年，如法國，但現在打算在20個最大的全球市場推出這項新搭配。麥當勞在世界各地擁有超過34,000間的分店，未來三年，這個政策會落實到30%-50%的分店，而在2020年之前會100%普及。
McDonald’s will start giving customers the choice of a salad, fruit or vegetable as a substitute for french fries in its value meals in a bid to target consumers wanting healthier options.
McDonald’s Corp. will roll out the change early next year in the U.S., where people will be able to pick a salad instead of fries at no extra cost. McDonald’s says it already lets customers make such swaps in some countries, such as France.
But now it says it now work to make the options available in 20 of its biggest markets around the world, which represent 85 percent of sales. McDonald’s, which has more than 34,000 locations around the world, said the change will be in place in 30 to 50 percent of the areas within the next three years and 100 percent the regions by 2020.
- Substitute+for (v.) 替代
Mary is ill and Laura is to substitute her.
瑪麗病了, 羅拉代替她。
- Roll out 推出
- Swap (n.) 交換
Let ' s do a swap. 我們交換吧。
The world’s biggest hamburger chain made the announcement at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City, where CEO Don Thompson made an appearance on stage with former President Bill Clinton.
In an interview before the announcement, Thompson said McDonald’s is looking at developing other healthy sides that will appeal to customers. He noted that the company could also take the fruits and vegetables it offers in other parts of the world, such as cups of corn and kiwi on a stick, and make them more widely available.
'What is it that customers will choose, and what will they eat?' Thompson said. 'What we don’t want to do is just put something on the menu and say, hey, we did it. We really want consumption.'
McDonald’s also announced that it would use its packaging to make healthier options more appealing to kids. For example, a side of carrots might come in a more colorfully designed bag.
Parents will still be able to order soda with Happy Meals, but McDonald’s says it will only promote milk, juice and water on menu boards and in advertising. All advertising to kids will include a 'fun nutrition or children’s well-being' message, the company said.
McDonald’s的首席執行長 Don Thompson 與美國前總統 Bill Clinton 在柯林頓基金會上宣布這項消息，在宣布消息前 Thompson 接受記者的訪問說：「麥當勞除了這項政策之外，也將發展其他健康的產品，而這將吸引更多的顧客上門。」他指出，除了當地生鮮蔬果，公司也會選擇世界各地的水果和蔬菜來作更廣泛地應用。麥當勞還宣布，它將使它的包裝及廣告更趨向健康化，以吸引更多兒童顧客購買。
有些家長在購買快樂兒童餐時仍會選擇汽水來作搭配，但麥當勞說，之後在菜單及廣告上它只會促銷牛奶、果汁和水，藉此推廣營養健康的重要性。
- Appeal+to (v.) 吸引；迎合愛好
The idea appealed to Mary.
這主意正合瑪麗的心意。
- Well-being (n.) 安康；福利
Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the health advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, said taking soda off the menu as an option for Happy Meals was a big step that other fast-food chains should follow. But she said the push to include positive nutrition messages in ads to kids could serve to give McDonald’s a 'health halo' that it doesn’t necessarily deserve. 'The changes McDonald’s are making make the food somewhat healthier. But I don’t think a hamburger, some applies and fries is something I’d call healthy,' she said.
McDonald's is also trying to encourage consumers to drink low fat milk drinks instead of sodas. The announcement comes as McDonald’s faces criticism from health advocates who say it promotes bad eating habits. After years of outperforming its rivals, McDonald’s is also struggling to shake its fast-food image and keep up with shifting tastes.
健康倡導團體「公共利益科學中心」的營養政策主管 Margo Wootan 表示，「麥當勞將汽水從快樂兒童餐中刪除是一大躍進，而其他速食業者也應該效法跟進，但打著『健康光環』向孩童推廣正面營養信息的廣告，我則對此打著很大的問號。我承認麥當勞在某些程度上正在讓其所販售的食物更健康，但我不認為一個漢堡、一些蘋果和薯條就和『健康』畫上等號。」
此外，麥當勞還試圖鼓勵消費者喝低脂牛奶來取代汽水，之所以有這些大動作，是因為麥當勞飽受健康提倡者的批評，表明這位速食龍頭根本在推動不良的飲食習慣，因此麥當勞正努力減弱它的『速食形象』，跟上這波健康潮流。
- Advocacy (n.) 擁護；提倡
- Advocate+of (n.) 擁護者；提倡者
They are advocates of free trade.
他們是自由貿易的倡導者。
- Outperform (v.) 超越；勝過
- Keep up with 跟上(形勢)；和‥保持聯繫
Late last year, the company reported its first monthly sales decline in nearly a decade and sales performance around the world has been choppy ever since. To better reflect the way people are eating, McDonald’s recently started giving customers the choice to substitute egg whites in all its breakfast sandwiches.
It also rolled out chicken wraps, which are partly intended to go after people who want foods they feel are fresher or healthier. Earlier in the week, rival Burger King rolled out lower-calorie french fries, reflecting the growing demand for better-for-you options.
McDonald’s marketing to children is also an ongoing issue. A recent study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, for example, found that the chain’s ads targeting children often emphasize toy giveaways and movie tie-ins, rather than food.
And at its latest annual shareholders meeting, a 9-year-old girl made headlines after she stood to ask Thompson to stop 'tricking' kids into eating the company’s food. The girl was with her mother, who was affiliated with Corporate Accountability, which has pressured McDonald’s to changes its marketing practices to kids.
去年年底，該公司聲稱其出現近10年來首次銷售下降，且全球的銷售業績的走勢也很動盪。為了帶給人們更好的飲食，麥當勞最近在早餐菜單中，提供顧客可以選擇用蛋白來製作三明治。它還推出雞肉捲餅，打算吸引那些喜愛新鮮和健康食物的客群。日前，漢堡王(Burger King) 推出低熱量的薯條，反映了市場對於健康選項的需求日益增加。
麥當勞向孩童推銷也是一個需要持續關注的議題，最近由 Robert Wood Johnson 基金會提出的一項研究發現，以兒童為主要目標的廣告經常強調的不是食物，而是玩具贈品。在最新的年度股東大會上，一位九歲的小女孩 Hannah Robertson 登上了報紙頭條，她要求Thompson不要再誘拐小孩子吃麥當勞了！這位小女孩和她的母親迫使麥當勞改變對小孩的行銷手法。
The criticism is clearly a sensitive topic for Thompson, who noted that the Alliance for a Healthier Generation was among the first organizations that approached the company to use its “marketing might” to help kids. The group, which is working with McDonald’s on its new health goals, was founded by the Clinton Global Initiative and the American Heart Association.
“Others have said, ‘McDonald’s, don’t advertise to kids,’” Thompson said. “We’ve always felt like, wow, if we had the impact that you think we have, why don’t we leverage it to do something great for kids?”
Howell Wechsler, CEO of Alliance for a Healthier Generation, said the commitments made by McDonald’s were worked out over the course of more than a year. He said the final agreement could help change the way people eat over time, given McDonald’s enormous reach.
很顯然地，這個話題對於 Thompson 而言是很敏感的，他指出，與柯林頓基金會、美國心臟協會共同創辦的「更健康世代聯盟」是第一個以”幫助孩童”為主要行銷目標的組織。Thompson說：「有些人希望麥當勞不要給小孩打廣告，如果我們真的有這麼大的影響力，那麼我們應該利用它來為孩子作更偉大的事情。」
更健康世代聯盟的執行長 Howell Wechsler 表示，麥當勞所作的承諾已經發展了一年多，而最終的協議可能有助於改變人們長年因為麥當勞而產生的飲食習慣。
- Choppy (adj.) 波浪起伏的；多變的
- Go after 追求；追逐；追蹤
- Ongoing (adj.) 不間斷的；進行的
- Giveaway (n.) 贈品；洩漏
- Tie-in (n.)【美】搭配；搭賣
- Affiliate+with (v.) 使隸屬於‥；加入
We are affiliated with a local club.
我們加入了當地的一個俱樂部。
- Leverage (v.) 影響
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