2004 Headlines
Super Size Me? No Thanks! Says Johnson School Professor As His Students Analyze McDonald's Nutritional InformationResults Show Eating Well at McDonald's is Neither Cheap nor Easy! June 17, 2004, Ithaca, New York Lawrence W. Robinson, Associate Professor of Operations Management at The Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, has been posing the same question to his MBA students for the past several years: What is the cheapest way to satisfy your daily Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) from the National Research Council eating only at McDonald's? In light of the recent documentary film "Super Size Me," their results might not be that surprising. "The main purpose of the assignment is for students to practice collecting and combining data from different sources-including websites and franchise visits-and to use the technique of 'linear programming' variables to determine the best menu at the best price that meets the RDA," explained Professor Robinson, Ph.D. "In addition to providing a great research and analytical lesson for my students, the results, which are disturbing, never cease to amaze everyone!" The project requires students to identify what mix of McDonald's food items, their portion size and the total cost needed to meet the RDA. Four food lists are created to meet certain characteristics-a base menu, a menu with fiber, a menu with palatability and reasonableness, and a menu with palatability and reasonableness that maximizes fiber. "The first surprising result is that it is even possible to eat nutritiously at McDonald's in the first place," explains Robinson, noting that none of these menus call for any super-sizing. The basic daily allotment of food required to meet all of the recommended RDA guidelines would cost $6.70 and includes consuming one-third of a regular hamburger; a little more than one side salad without dressing; four butter garlic croutons; a little more than one hotcake with margarine and syrup; 3 nuts (for sundaes); one-third of a baked apple pie; nearly all of a 32 oz. Chocolate Triple ThickTM Shake, and about 3 oz. of orange juice. This food list would be the total amount of food you could consume for the entire day in order to meet the RDA. Requiring at least 25 grams of fiber increases the price of the day's food to $11.28. For this you would consume a little more that two hamburgers; three side salads; two cinnamon rolls; a sip of 1% low fat milk; just less than three French fries, and more than thirteen packets of honey sauce normally used for Chicken McNuggets®. When palatability and reasonableness are factored in, the day's food cost is $8.28 and is more substantial. This "feast" would include nearly one side salad with most of a packet of Newman's Own® Cobb Dressing; a bite of scrambled eggs; nearly 3 hotcakes with margarine and syrup; more than half of a 32 oz. Chocolate Triple ThickTM Shake; about one-fifth of a Strawberry Triple ThickTM Shake; one and one-half cartons of 1% lowfat milk, and about one-quarter of a 21 oz. orange juice. To maximize fiber and take into account palatability and reasonableness, the daily allotment, at a cost of $15.90, would include one-half of a hamburger; four French fries; a Caesar's salad without chicken but sprinkled with one-fifth of a packet of Newman's Own® Cobb Dressing and nearly three-quarters of a Newman's Own® Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette packet; half of a cinnamon roll; nearly 3 Fruit n' Yogurt parfaits, and nearly 4 orange juices. "None of the options sound that great to me," says Robinson. "You'd be spending a good deal of money on meals and throwing away a good share of your purchase if you wanted to stay within the RDA limits." Nutritional data used in the project is available at http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.categories.nutrition.index.html. The Johnson School at Cornell University, founded in 1946, is Cornell's graduate school of management. The Johnson School combines leading edge intellectual capital with "real time, real world" business practice and is among the top business schools in the world. Opportunities for experiential learning, such as immersion programs and student-run venture capital and mutual funds, distinguish the Johnson School's curricula. Programs include MBA and doctoral degrees, a twelve-month MBA option for students with advanced degrees in science or engineering and an executive MBA. The Johnson School is located at the center of Cornell University-the largest of the Ivy League schools and one of the world's top research institutions. For more about the Johnson School please visit: www.johnson.cornell.edu. For More Information |
