McDonald's to Give Specifics of Menu Ingredients
<b></b>
Oak Brook, Illinois-McDonald's announced recentlythat it will begin providing the specific source-dairy, meat orvegetable-of the natural flavorings in some menu items in an effortto address customer requests and complaints. The information willbe available on the company's Web site and in pamphlets in itsrestaurants.
The company has used the current state and federal guidelinesfor labeling, a system that does not include specificallydescribing the nature of a "natural flavor."
"Some of our customers have told us that the current stateand federal labeling standards don't give them as muchinformation as they want to answer their dietary questions,"McDonald's Ken Koziol said in a statement. "If ourcustomers want more information about natural flavors to help themmake informed choices, then we want to help them."
This spring, vegetarians in Seattle and Houston filed separatelawsuits against McDonald's, accusing the corporation of usingbeef flavoring in french fries despite promises that it would usevegetable oil. News reports of the case also outraged some Hindusin India, who smashed windows at McDonald's franchises inprotest. The company has apologized for any confusion.
Mike Gordon, a McDonald's spokesperson, declined to commenton the litigation but said the lawsuits and general questions fromthe public had "heightened the company'sawareness."
The new policy pertains only to McDonald's permanent menuand not promotional or seasonal items, officials said.-AP
