McDonald's adds QR codes to Olympic packaging
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McDonald’s is to put QR codes on all food packaging sold at its Olympics Park venue during the Games to give customers access to nutritional information about its products, one of a number of innovations unveiled today (26 July) on the eve of the start of the Olympics.
The initiative, which allows customers to access nutritional and sourcing information about each product via a smartphone, will be rolled out to the rest of the UK and worldwide by 2013. It will complement the mobile app that McDonald’s already has to help consumers make better menu choices.
Speaking at an event at the Olympic restaurant, Kevin Newell executive vice-president and global chief brand officer at McDonald’s, said: “We know that transparency about ingredients is very important to our customers. Putting QR codes on our packaging adds a whole new dimension to our nutrition information that’s available here at the London Olympics. We’re taking a step forward with QR codes that gives a deeper look at that information.”
The fast-food retailer will also launch a multimedia campaign during the Games that will see six of its McDonald’s team members record their experiences of the Games such as attending events and visiting London.
It aims to show London 2012 from the perspective of employees working at its Olympic restaurants and celebrate their involvement.
McDonald’s is introducing an online recipe site, hosted by its chefs as part of its Olympic Champions of Food activity, in a bid to get families to enjoy cooking together and give them ideas for “wholesome” meals they can make at home.
Speaking to Marketing Week at the event, Newell says that McDonald’s wants to do more to educate families that the food it uses in its restaurants is the same food that they have at home.
He added: “We care about what you eat in our restaurants but we also care about what you eat at home.”
Elsewhere, McDonald’s is also trialling a range of fruit smoothies at the restaurant in the Olympic Park. The smoothies are already a feature of the US menu, and are also being trialled a limited number of restaurants in Wales ahead of a potential national roll out.
Readers' comments (6)
Anonymous | Thu, 26 Jul 2012 3:44 pm
There is no such thing as a "better menu choice" at McDonalds. If your there for a meal it's for speed or a treat, not for a healthy meal with 3 of your 5 a day...
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Jonathan Bass (Managing Director, Incentivated.com | Fri, 27 Jul 2012 3:48 pm
This has to be the future - giving the consumer access to information, directly from the food packaging itself, about nutrition and provenance (and the ocassional sales promotion). Good ol'M&S did this two years ago; http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/ms-trials-qr-codes-on-juice-bottles/3003321.article
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Peter Bird | Sun, 29 Jul 2012 3:02 am
McDonalds meals are proberbly the most healthy of all the so-called fast food chains and even healthier than most people eat at home. I take my grand kids regulariry to the McDonalds experience, they love it as much as I do. Heath and nutrition is up to each individual and their body chemistry, it not the meal that is the problem it is your own metabilism that is the issue. I have eaten fatty foods for 65+ years and drank alcohol, no problem enjoy what you like not what someone else tells you. Cheers, Peter
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Laura Marriott | Tue, 31 Jul 2012 9:41 pm
Nice article Jonathan. It’s certainly positive to see McDonalds using QR technology to communicate to its consumers regarding the nutritional information about food. Any initiative to make people more aware of the salt, calorie and fat content in the food they are consuming, is a proactive step in the right direction, and QR codes are a convenient, easy way to facilitate this interaction and insight thanks to the popularity of smartphones. I am hopeful that more companies follow the lead of McDonalds and M&S by offering added value to consumers thru QR codes.
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Dominic | Fri, 3 Aug 2012 12:14 pm
I agree with Laura- QR Codes are the way! Check out the baagloo app in your app store and discover how they can help you.
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Dylan | Sun, 5 Aug 2012 4:07 am
Hey now. McDonalds does not have the healthiest meal options around. In fact, most of the preservatives used in their food alone make it worse than their competitors. Not that ive been a manager at McDonalds or anything... oops
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