Quick service restaurant (QSR) McDonald's Arabia is all set to display nutrition labeling directly on food packaging across its 360-plus restaurants in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in a bid to promote balanced lifestyles.
The nutrition information, which is already being rolled out across all restaurants in all GCC markets, will be displayed on the majority of the chain's food packaging on easy-to-read labels. The labels include five key nutrition components, calories, proteins, total fat, carbohydrates and sodium.
According to McDonald's, the initiative has been designed to make the information accessible and visible, besides enabling customers make better and informed choices about the food they eat.
McDonald's Middle East and Africa managing director Yousif Abdulghani said the chain has stepped in as the first QSR in the region to post nutrition information on its packaging.
"Telling our customers about our food is not something new for McDonald's in the region," Abdulghani said.
The chain has formatted the packaging in a clear and easy-to-read format in a bid to allow customers to better understand the products' nutrition breakdown. The majority of packaging will include nutrition information.
Due to logistical limitations, packaging used in limited time promotions, and wrappers and containers that are used for multiple products will not carry product-specific nutrition information.
In such cases, customers will be directed to the website of McDonald's Arabia or to in-restaurant tray-mats and fliers for the nutrition information they require.
McDonald's Arabia has also launched a mobile app that provides customers with on-the-go nutrition information. Available for Apple iOS at present, the app will also be made available for Android formats in April 2013.