McDonald’s Lighter Salad Goes for Gold at the Olympics
UK Press Releases
July 25, 2004
McDonald’s is launching a new Go Active! Meal in support of its sponsorship of the 2004 Olympic Games. The lead product is a salad with just 295 calories and 3.6% fat, containing Grilled Chicken with a balsamic dressing.
The meal, priced at just £3.99 also includes a choice of drink, an information leaflet with advice on how to get active and a free stepometer.
To get into the spirit of the Olympics and find out how far to walk on an average day, customers can clip the free stepometer on their waist and try to increase the number of steps they take each week, aiming to reach the optimum 10,000 steps a day – that’s equivalent to two lengths of Oxford Street!
McDonald’s spokesperson Amanda Pierce comments, “McDonald’s is working hard to introduce choice and variety for our customers and has developed a new range of balanced meals that also taste great, including the Go Active! Meal.
“The Olympics will no doubt inspire the nation to get excited about doing simple and accessible exercise on a daily basis. While we can never hope to be as fit as the Olympic competitors, we can improve our lifestyle by doing exercises that fit into our busy lives, which is why we’re offering the free stepometer to Go Active! Meal customers. Walking is perfect – it’s cheap, easy and effective as well as a great step towards leading a balanced and active lifestyle.”
The meal is on sale in McDonald’s restaurants from 2nd – 31st August inclusive.
Take Steps with Darren Campbell
Sprinter and Olympic medallist Darren Campbell has joined forces with McDonald’s to explain the importance of eating a balanced diet and taking regular exercise.
Darren says “It is often hard to fit exercise in to a busy schedule, but there are lots of things you can do to keep active, even if it is as simple as getting off the bus one stop earlier or using the stairs instead of the lift or escalator.”
Darren offers the following top tips for increasing your daily step count:
· Get off the bus, train or Tube one stop early and walk from there
· Use the stairs instead of the lift whenever possible
· Never take the car short distances – it’s bad for you and the environment
· Try to walk your children to school at least once a week, which is good for you and them
· Always try to take the scenic route when walking anywhere
· Go for a brisk walk or to the gym at lunchtime
· Walk while talking on your cordless phone or mobile
· Don’t abandon your supermarket trolley in the car park – take it back to the entrance
· Don’t get your newspapers delivered, make an effort to go and collect them
· Try not to sit for more than 20 minutes at a time
Get Active! With Sharon Davies
Former Olympic swimmer, Sharon Davies, gives the following tips on how to Get Active!
· Make arrangements to go to the gym/pool with a friend then you are less likely to make excuses not to go
· Go on bike rides with the kids - it’s a great, fun family activity
· Work out gently but regularly, it is much more beneficial than sporadic intensive exercise
· Find a sport or activity you enjoy - you are more likely to stick to it
· Try to have a form a routine – and stick to it. Routines work!
· Don't go to the supermarket hungry and take a list of what you need
· You can use household items like cans of beans, bags of sugar to do a few exercises at home
For further media information, please contact McDonald's Press Office on 020 8700 7320 or Commscoordinator@uk.mcd.com
Did you know….?
· Our hamburgers are made from 100% beef, free from any additives, fillers, binders and flavour enhancers (we do add a little salt and pepper seasoning after cooking). Last year over 24,000 British and Irish farmers were approved to supply us with forequarter and flank cuts of beef.
· We cook our products in 100% rapeseed oil and since 1998 have reduced the trans-fatty acid levels by over 50%
· All the eggs we use in our breakfast products are free-range
· We expect to have sold over 7 million fruit bags by April 2004 – a year after launch, and are already the #1 retailer of pre-prepared fruit in the UK. Our fruit bags meet one of the DOH's recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day
· Our milk sales have increased by 26% since launching organic semi-skimmed milk in February 2003
Click the logo for more information about McDonald’s involvement in the Olympics
