Anthem McMom finds fast food fine
by Jim Crawford

ANTHEM – Fast food has gotten a bad rap over the years.

Too much fat, sodium, sugar, starch, carbohydrates, preservatives, unpronounceable ingredients and, yes, most importantly–calories, lots and lots of calories. So many, in fact, that fast food has  in part been blamed for the epidemic of overweight Americans currently making headlines across the country.

You get the picture.

To combat the negative image, the mega‑burgered McDonald’s Corporation, perhaps one of the most widely recognized brand names in the world, has embarked on a campaign to introduce healthy eating to its customers. They’ve started including “smart” choices and portion control to their menus– with positive results.

In 2007, McDonald’s conducted independent research using online surveys and polls to determine what moms want to know about fast food. The results showed their main concerns are: nutrition, safety and quality.

McDonald’s recruited six everyday moms to participate in its  Moms’ Quality Correspondents program. These mothers are spending time behind the scenes at McDonald’s asking questions about food quality, seeing firsthand how McDonald’s menu items are made and sharing what they learn with other moms across the country.

Monica Fuentes, Anthem mother of three, filled out the online survey and sent it back to McDonald’s.

“I read about it on the Web site,” Fuentes said. “And they picked six of us out of 4,000 entries. I’m always on the go with my kids. A lot of times we have to depend on fast food. I started noticing McDonald’s was putting healthier choices on their menus. I’m always concerned about nutrition. I just thought I’d like to see exactly what changes they’re making.

“We have to resort to McDonald’s at least once a week,” she continued. “Since we do go there I was curious about food content. What fillers are added? I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve observed so far.”

The six moms come from California, Arizona, Arkansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida. They have been receiving unprecedented access to McDonald’s facilities to explore supplier establishments, restaurant kitchens and Hamburger University in Chicago.

“We just returned from a tour of the meat processing plant in Oklahoma City,” Fuentes said. “McDonald’s is the plant’s largest customer. The meat is 100 percent fresh–kind of like what you get when you go to the grocery store. The plant is amazing. There is a minimum of human contact with the meat. There are USDA inspectors everywhere. Everything is clean.”

The processed meat is made into patties, frozen and boxed for shipping.

“They’re used within a week,” she said. “Most frozen meat you buy at the store says you can keep it up to about six months. The meat at McDonald’s is used in a week.”

Fuentes said the experience has been a real eye‑opener for her and the other moms in the program.

“Several people had told me that McDonald’s hamburgers don’t contain real meat. It’s some kind of processed food. Nothing could be further from the truth. Customers are getting high‑quality food at McDonald’s.”

The moms also got a look from the customer service side while working a shift behind the counter at a McDonald’s franchise in Oklahoma City.

“We got to work behind the counter,” she said. “There’s not a lot of actual contact with the food. The burgers are not flipped. They’re cooked in a grill kind of like a George Foreman grill. We used a lot of spatulas and tongs. Our hands never touched the food. The servers are trained to look for things like too much ketchup on a burger or a thumbprint on the wrapper. They’re supposed to send the items back if they see it.”

American moms are McDonald’s worst critics, Fuentes says.

“I think McDonald’s is headed in the right direction. At least this program shows they’re listening. They know moms want healthy food for their children. They’ve heard about child obesity and they’re using healthy portions. I hope they’re setting a precedent for other fast food chains to follow. They know being successful depends on being relentlessly focused on quality and freshness.”