McDonald’s recent announcement to replace High Fructose Corn Syrup (HCFS) with Sugar in its buns is yet another example of corporate health-jacking: making inconsequential changes to give the appearance of a meaningful pivot to healthy nutrition.
Case in point: if you eat a Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich you’re going to consume 11 grams of additional sugar (as HFCF and table sugar). Approx. 2 1/4 grams of which are coming from the bun. Hat tip to Tom Philpott for pointing out that this volume of sugar (11 grams) is as much as three Chips Ahoy! chocolate chip cookies.
How many people eating a chicken sandwich from MickyD’s understand this?
And yet, McDonald’s insists merely replacing the type of sugar used in its buns is a laudable pivot towards healthier food offerings for its patrons.
It’s news like this that reminds me how unfathomably and incomprehensibly broken our understanding of nutrition and health actually is.
