{"id":666413,"date":"2026-10-27T02:42:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T02:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/666413\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T02:42:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T02:42:22","slug":"mcdonalds-menus-now-display-protein-count-for-some-food-items","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/666413\/","title":{"rendered":"McDonald\u2019s menus now display protein count for some food items"},"content":{"rendered":"

McDonald\u2019s has unveiled a major menu change<\/a> across the country, with select food items now displaying their exact protein count<\/a> in grams in a large font, however this will only be for menu items containing 15 grams of protein or more. <\/p>\n

Customers have noticed this on digital ordering screens and on the My Maccas app. This protein feature was initially introduced in US stores in April.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Take a closer look: McDonald\u2019s has unveiled a major menu change across the country.\u00a0Jo Abi<\/p>\n

This shift comes days after the fast food giant<\/a> confirmed the return of Diet Coke to its menu after four-year absence.<\/p>\n

A McDonald\u2019s spokesperson told nine.com.au: \u201cAt McDonald\u2019s, we\u2019re committed to serving great tasting, quality food and providing transparent information about our menu.<\/p>\n

\u201cProtein content is now displayed across our digital ordering channels on menu items with 15 grams of protein or more, helping customers make informed decisions when choosing their Macca\u2019s favourites.\u201d<\/p>\n

Protein has become one of the biggest health buzzwords<\/a> around the world, with protein count and content highlighted across several food categories and brands, and McDonald\u2019s is the latest to jump on the bandwagon.<\/p>\n

A Big Mac contains 28g of protein, according to the new display, while a Double Big Mac gives you 42g of protein.<\/p>\n

A Double Quarter Pounder includes 54g of protein, and a McChicken has 16g of protein. Not a burger fan? You can look forward to 43g of protein in a box of 20 nuggets.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Some menu items now display the amount of protein in grams.\u00a0McDonald\u2019s<\/p>\n

The protein content of Macca\u2019s famous fries, hash browns and sundaes sadly remains a mystery.<\/p>\n

While this extra menu information is welcome news for Australians counting their daily protein intake, health experts have expressed concerns over the new feature.<\/p>\n

Leading Australian dietician Susie Burrell warned that while some McDonald\u2019s menu items \u201cmay offer protein\u201d, they generally come with \u201ca massive load of fat, saturated fat in particular, as well\u201d but few other nutrients such as fibre, which can be found in salads and some breads.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven their plain chicken burgers have a lot more fat and calories than other chains,\u201d Burrell told nine.com.au.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf what\u2019s there, the Bacon & Egg McMuffin is better at 21g of protein for roughly 330 calories, but they need to share the fat too for it to be meaningful nutritionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Food scientist Dr Emma Beckett said while McDonald\u2019s can be included in a balanced diet, customers should always consider the overall nutritional value of food items rather than single health claims such as this.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople think that having protein means it\u2019s a health food, but that\u2019s not the case at all,\u201d she told nine.com.au. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy advice to consumers is to stop having your head turned by specific \u2018hero\u2019 nutrients and to consider your food choices and diet on balance,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople think that having protein means it\u2019s a health food, but that\u2019s not the case at all,\u201d food scientist Dr Emma Beckett said.\u00a0McDonald\u2019s<\/p>\n

Dr Beckett added balance, when it comes to diet, includes thinking about \u201cenergy, macros, and micros, but it also includes balancing enjoyment and effort and everything else\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"McDonald\u2019s has unveiled a major menu change across the country, with select food items now displaying their exact…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":666414,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[103,61,60,446],"class_list":["post-666413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=666413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/666414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=666413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=666413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}