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McDonald's (MCD) Adds Another Healthy Option

Beth Gaston Moon — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Consumer Experience, Competitive Strategy, McDonald's (MCD)

Two all-beef patties, special sauce, and fresh fruit? In an effort to keep up with those consumers looking for quick but healthy options, McDonald's (MCD) is planning to offer "Real Fruit Smoothies," coming to a Golden Arches near you this summer. The drinks will come in three sizes and two flavors - strawberry banana and wild berry.

And who better to help McDonald's announce these new products than Olympic athletes (the pinnacle of health and well being)? The smoothies debuted at the chain's three Olympic-village restaurants (where athletes can also carbo-load their favorite items from Micky D's menus).

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McDonald's (MCD) Adds Another Healthy Option originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Healthy eating is message from Taco Bell, KFC parent: Yum, what?

Sarah Gilbert — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:45:00 EST

Filed under: Consumer Experience, Marketing and Advertising, Yum Brands (YUM)

It's right there in the stock symbol: for Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), parent of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, is all about good taste. None of the food conglomerates' brands have ever been widely recognized for their healthfulness; in fact, it's safe to say that consumers passionate about healthy eating consider the entire suite of fast-service restaurants dens of iniquity.

Yum is trying to change all that. No, not by making any of the restaurants' foods more healthy, but by targeting consumers who are looking to lose weight with its new Keep It Balanced web site. The site shows laughing, gorgeous, healthy consumers holding chalupas and sodas, while exhorting weight-conscious readers to "Keep a record of what you eat and drink" and "Be Patient!" while ordering sauce on the side at Taco Bell and (seriously?) removing the skin and breading from your KFC fried chicken. Meanwhile shadowy figures dance around the corners of the site's frames in moves reminiscent of Tai Chi; a discipline that I would be willing to bet 90% of the company's consumers don't practice and, likely, consider ridiculous.

The message: our food is so totally unhealthy, but you can make it healthy by picking off all the tasty bits. Then you'll be free to head to martial arts training with a clear conscience. Brilliant. Or, perhaps, absolutely unbrilliant and obviously meant only to pay lip service to criticism that the company's foods are contributing to our nation's decidedly unhealthy relationship with food, a half-hearted effort to associate its brands with the "diet season" of January. In my estimation, the site is a waste of marketing dollars and, as long as you're not an investor, laughable.

Healthy eating is message from Taco Bell, KFC parent: Yum, what? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Krispy Kreme Doughnuts bids adieu to its chief and to trans fat

Beth Gaston Moon — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:19:00 EST

Filed under: Products and Services, Management, Competitive Strategy, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (KKD)

Say what you want about the tasty warmth of its fresh-from-the-fryers glazed confections, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (NYSE: KKD) hasn't been leading the sweet life of late. Beleaguered and beaten down in the midst of what CNN Money calls a "sputtering turnaround effort," the company remains challenged with an anemic share price, struggling sales, and folding franchise locations.

Today, Chief Executive Daryl Brewster, who took the reins in March 2006, announced plans to retire for personal reasons. Brewster will leave his post at the end of this month. The board quickly named James Morgan, board member since 2000 and chairman of the board since 2005, to take the vacated seat.

In other news, Krispy Kreme has followed the lead of many fast-food concerns to announce that all products sold in the U.S. are now free of trans fats. KKD officials said it has been introducing zero-grams trans fat products across the country during the past several months.

Investors are cheering this combination of news, as the stock has spiked 9.5% in today's trading. Of course, given the stock's current price (around the $3 level), this represents an absolute increase of 27 cents per share.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts bids adieu to its chief and to trans fat originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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