Reader question: Is McDonald's really healthier in France?
Most people probably accept that McDonald's products are not health food - but is McDonald's in France healthier than it is in the USA?
Despite its status as the ultimate symbol of globalisation, McDonald's actually varies quite a lot from country to country. In France, you might walk into a McDonald's and find macaroons, croissants or a 'McBaguette' on the menu. Some French McDonald's even let you buy beer.
Despite protests against introducing the American fast-food chain into the country in 1979, McDonald's has become wildly popular in France, particularly among young people.
France was home to over 1,500 McDonald's restaurants, as of 2022, making it the largest McDonald's market in Europe.
But when it comes to healthiness, not all McDonald's are created equal. Based on local regulations and tastes, McDonalds alters its recipes slightly.
Here's how McDonald's France breaks down when it comes to healthiness:
Ingredients
According to the McDonald's France website, the chain claims that "75 percent of [their] raw materials come from the French agriculture industry" and that the company works with nearly 30,000 local farmers across the country.
McDonald's France also says that, since 2021, all of its bread rolls are prepared with flour that meets the 'Label Rouge' quality standard.
In France, since 2016, McDonald's has promised customers that the eggs used in McMuffins only come from free-range hens qualifying for the 'Label Rouge'. Cage-free eggs will be used in US McMuffins "by 2025" according to McDonald's.
READ MORE: Bio, artisan and red label: What do French food and drink labels really mean?
Chicken nuggets in French McDonald's also are supplied by 219 French chicken farmers suppliers, many of whom are located in Brittany. Around half of the meat used in McDonald's burgers in France comes from the country itself, while the rest is all from EU countries, mainly Ireland and the Netherlands.
McDonald's in France also uses EU-sourced ingredients, and the EU restricts the usage of additives and growth hormones. For example Azodicarbonamide which is used to bleach flour, is banned in the EU, but not in the United States, where McDonald's was still using it as of 2016.
The EU also has strict regulations regarding antibiotics in chicken feed, and as of 2015, McDonald's in the United States introduced a policy promising to "only source chicken raised without antibiotics important to human medicine".
NutriScores
French law on NutriScores - the nutritional grading of a product from A to E based on its calorie count and fat, sugar and salt content - means that when ordering at a French McDonald's (if you use the electronic kiosk) you can compare products, like a Filet-O-Fish with a burger, based on their nutritional profile.
Based on their Nutriscores, a large French Fries scored 'B' which is considered to be a 'balanced product', just below the score 'A' which is usually reserved for fresh fruits and vegetables. Chicken McNuggets and the Big Mac both scored a 'C' - which refers to a food that should be consumed in moderation.
Portions
Perhaps the biggest difference between McDonald's in the US versus France has to do with portion sizes.
For instance, a small soda in the United States is 16 fl. oz, or 473 millilitres. In France, a small sized cup is 25cl, or 250 millilitres - around half the size of an American small soda cup.
Similarly, France offers four options for McNuggets - either a serving of four, six, nine. The maximum amount, similar to other countries in Europe, like the UK, is 20 pieces. In the United States, the maximum amount is 40 pieces.
Big Mac
Different menus mean it can be hard to compare McDonald's around the globe, but one product that can be compared is the company's signature product, the Big Mac. Although these are not identical around the globe, they are similar whatever country you are in.
The website NiceRx, an online healthcare company, made a comparative index looking at different countries' Big Macs to determine the 'healthiest'.
READ MORE: Ice to dryers: 14 of the most common American misconceptions about France
Based on their findings, the Big Mac in France is (slightly) healthier than the one sold in the United States. It offers 27g of protein, rather than the 25g found in the American burger. It is slightly less caloric, with 510 kCal in contrast to American Big Mac's 540 kCal.
The French Big Mac also has a bit less salt, carbs and fat, but it is not the world's healthiest Big Mac - that can be found in Israel. That being said, these differences are small, so it is not entirely fair to say that McDonald's in France is significantly healthier than its American counterpart.
Coca-Cola
And finally, if you get a Coke with your meal, you might notice a difference in the taste.
In the US, regular Coke uses high fructose corn syrup while in Europe cane sugar is used to sweeten the product. Diet Coke meanwhile - sold as Coca-Cola Light in France - has slightly less sweeteners in Europe than in the USA.
READ MORE: Is Diet Coke really banned in Europe?
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Despite its status as the ultimate symbol of globalisation, McDonald's actually varies quite a lot from country to country. In France, you might walk into a McDonald's and find macaroons, croissants or a 'McBaguette' on the menu. Some French McDonald's even let you buy beer.
Despite protests against introducing the American fast-food chain into the country in 1979, McDonald's has become wildly popular in France, particularly among young people.
France was home to over 1,500 McDonald's restaurants, as of 2022, making it the largest McDonald's market in Europe.
But when it comes to healthiness, not all McDonald's are created equal. Based on local regulations and tastes, McDonalds alters its recipes slightly.
Here's how McDonald's France breaks down when it comes to healthiness:
Ingredients
According to the McDonald's France website, the chain claims that "75 percent of [their] raw materials come from the French agriculture industry" and that the company works with nearly 30,000 local farmers across the country.
McDonald's France also says that, since 2021, all of its bread rolls are prepared with flour that meets the 'Label Rouge' quality standard.
In France, since 2016, McDonald's has promised customers that the eggs used in McMuffins only come from free-range hens qualifying for the 'Label Rouge'. Cage-free eggs will be used in US McMuffins "by 2025" according to McDonald's.
READ MORE: Bio, artisan and red label: What do French food and drink labels really mean?
Chicken nuggets in French McDonald's also are supplied by 219 French chicken farmers suppliers, many of whom are located in Brittany. Around half of the meat used in McDonald's burgers in France comes from the country itself, while the rest is all from EU countries, mainly Ireland and the Netherlands.
McDonald's in France also uses EU-sourced ingredients, and the EU restricts the usage of additives and growth hormones. For example Azodicarbonamide which is used to bleach flour, is banned in the EU, but not in the United States, where McDonald's was still using it as of 2016.
The EU also has strict regulations regarding antibiotics in chicken feed, and as of 2015, McDonald's in the United States introduced a policy promising to "only source chicken raised without antibiotics important to human medicine".
NutriScores
French law on NutriScores - the nutritional grading of a product from A to E based on its calorie count and fat, sugar and salt content - means that when ordering at a French McDonald's (if you use the electronic kiosk) you can compare products, like a Filet-O-Fish with a burger, based on their nutritional profile.
Based on their Nutriscores, a large French Fries scored 'B' which is considered to be a 'balanced product', just below the score 'A' which is usually reserved for fresh fruits and vegetables. Chicken McNuggets and the Big Mac both scored a 'C' - which refers to a food that should be consumed in moderation.
Portions
Perhaps the biggest difference between McDonald's in the US versus France has to do with portion sizes.
For instance, a small soda in the United States is 16 fl. oz, or 473 millilitres. In France, a small sized cup is 25cl, or 250 millilitres - around half the size of an American small soda cup.
Similarly, France offers four options for McNuggets - either a serving of four, six, nine. The maximum amount, similar to other countries in Europe, like the UK, is 20 pieces. In the United States, the maximum amount is 40 pieces.
Big Mac
Different menus mean it can be hard to compare McDonald's around the globe, but one product that can be compared is the company's signature product, the Big Mac. Although these are not identical around the globe, they are similar whatever country you are in.
The website NiceRx, an online healthcare company, made a comparative index looking at different countries' Big Macs to determine the 'healthiest'.
READ MORE: Ice to dryers: 14 of the most common American misconceptions about France
Based on their findings, the Big Mac in France is (slightly) healthier than the one sold in the United States. It offers 27g of protein, rather than the 25g found in the American burger. It is slightly less caloric, with 510 kCal in contrast to American Big Mac's 540 kCal.
The French Big Mac also has a bit less salt, carbs and fat, but it is not the world's healthiest Big Mac - that can be found in Israel. That being said, these differences are small, so it is not entirely fair to say that McDonald's in France is significantly healthier than its American counterpart.
Coca-Cola
And finally, if you get a Coke with your meal, you might notice a difference in the taste.
In the US, regular Coke uses high fructose corn syrup while in Europe cane sugar is used to sweeten the product. Diet Coke meanwhile - sold as Coca-Cola Light in France - has slightly less sweeteners in Europe than in the USA.
READ MORE: Is Diet Coke really banned in Europe?
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