Low-carb Atkins? McDonald's is lovin' it
By RICHARD BLOOM, Friday, February 6, 2004 - Page B1
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In a sign that Atkins mania has taken hold in Canada, McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Ltd. will introduce a handful of low-carbohydrate items to its menu Monday and diet-friendly changes could also soon come to the Happy Meal -- its meal-in-a-box marketed to kids.
It will be U.S. behemoth McDonald's Corp.'s first national rollout of high-protein, low-carb fare -- meaning no bun, no fries -- geared toward those following the dieting phenomenon that has developed into a multibillion-dollar industry.
"This is something we know more people are looking for in their diets, as a result, we've customized our menu in this way to appeal to that," McDonald's Canada spokesman Ron Christianson said.
The popularity of the Atkins diet -- which claims that controlling carbs can result in significant weight loss -- has grown rapidly, especially in the United States.
Followers of the diet dine on bacon, steak and butter but not most bread, pasta and candy.
It has spawned similar low-carb diet plans -- such as the South Beach and Zone diets -- and even a line of clothing featuring T-shirts, baby bibs
and thongs emblazoned with "Eat Meat Not Wheat."
Recent studies on the diet, named after creator Dr. Robert Atkins, in some high-profile medical journals have shown the Atkins diet to be more effective than strict calorie counting when it comes to shedding pounds.
While there are few studies on the low-carb craze's precise financial impact, the publication LowCarbiz reports that it generated $15-billion (U.S.) in sales last year in the United States. This year, it predicts that figure to surge to between $25-billion and $30-billion as scores of big-name corporations, such as Unilever NV, Frito-Lay Inc. and restaurant chains TGI-Friday's and Subway, offer the products.
Globally, the weight loss industry reportedly generates sales in the $50-billion ballpark.
The three new McDonald's platters -- one breakfast, two lunch and dinner -- will be meat-laden. The morning platter will consist of two eggs, two pieces of bacon, a piece of sausage and a slice of tomato. One dinner platter features a quarter-pound hamburger, a slice of bacon, a slice of cheese, and a smattering of lettuce, onion, tomato and pickle. The other substitutes a chicken breast for the burger.
But the low-carb changes likely won't stop there, Mr. Christianson said, adding that the company has plans to add more items, which may include a revamped Happy Meal and new salads.
"This an evolving program, as we move forward will we see additional meal items," he said.
In addition to the new food choices, McDonald's will also unveil large displays for each of its stores Monday that will detail tips on reducing carbs, fat and calories.
The sign's message, however, can be interpreted as both perplexing and encouraging for a country struggling with its waistline: It suggests patrons forgo the things that made McDonald's famous -- such as burgers, French fries and special sauce -- in favour of items such as chicken, salad and yogurt.
"Food companies that think it's a fad are going to be in trouble. There's something very real going on here," said Glenys Babcock, a vice-president of public affairs for Ipsos-Reid in Toronto, which has conducted various studies on dieting. One Ipsos-Reid study showed that 61 per cent of Canadians currently limit their carb intake "to avoid gaining weight" while 6 per cent are on some form of low-carb or no-carb diet.
"Part of the push to change eating habits and diets is coming from news about Canadians being overweight and obese . . . the fact that it's not just adults but it's in families with kids, I think that is one of the motivating factors behind the change in eating habits generally," she said.
The changes are part of McDonald's Canada's Healthy Lifestyles plan to add more nutritious choices to its menu, put up posters in each restaurant detailing nutritional content of its food and encourage people to be physically active. Bill Johnson, the company's president and chief executive officer, said last month that the company is determined to "be more relevant to today's health-conscious consumer." He predicted that others in his industry would follow its lead.
But in fact, McDonald's isn't a leader on the low-carb front. While its sheer size makes the move massive (more than three million Canadians eat at its restaurants every day), rivals have also been jumping aboard the Atkins bandwagon in recent months.
In December, sandwich chain Subway, with 16,000 restaurants in the United States and 1,800 in Canada, began selling low-carb wraps that bear the full, licensed endorsement of the Atkins organization.
"I can tell you the response has been overwhelming, as a matter of fact, it has greatly exceeded our expectations by a large margin . . . a lot of people are buying them," Subway's spokesman Les Winograd said in an interview.
Geoff Wilson, a strategy consultant for the food services industry, said he's not surprised that restaurants are overhauling menus, saying he saw similar changes occur over the past decade as dieters' attention shifted from low-calorie to low-fat to low-sodium to low-cholesterol and now, to low-carbs diets.
"There are savvy operators that will capitalize on that," he said. "I think you're going to see more reaction to this because the low-carb phenomenon is being driven by not only the food services industry but the food industry in general, and even the beverage-alcohol industry is responding to this now."
Indeed, it's not just Canada's $45-billion (Canadian) food services industry taking part in the change. Last summer, Sleeman Breweries Ltd. was first to the party with its low-carb beer, Clear. A few months later, rivals Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd. and Molson Inc. served up similar products.
Other companies with products deemed "Atkins unfriendly" are also tweaking their operations, including bread makers. Earlier this week, Canada Bread Co. Ltd.'s Dempsters division launched its Carb Wise bread, with half the carbs of its regular bread. Rival George Weston Ltd. launched its new line of Atkins Bakery Bread here last month, featuring the Atkins seal of approval.
"Low-carb Atkins? McDonald's is lovin' it"
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