McDonald's Co. Asked to Offer
Floss with Meals!
Floss with Meals!
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McDonald's Asked to Offer Dental Floss with Happy Meal
McDonald's (MCD), the world's largest chain of fast-food restaurants, has been asked to offer individual packets of dental floss with its meals. In the spirit of National Flossing Day, (Nov. 23, 2007), The National Flossing Council (NFC) has formally asked the President of McDonald's USA, Don Thompson, to offer floss to customers with the phrase, "Would you like floss with that?" The possibility of adding floss to the McDonald's Happy Meal, and Mighty Meals for Kids was also suggested.
The request to Thompson (see a copy of the letter, below) notes that McDonald's has had great success with its Healthy Options menu and proposes that offering floss will expand their efforts to include the dental health of McDonald’s customers. Individual floss packets are now available from major suppliers. A strong, monofilament floss would be a low cost addition to any McDonald’s meal, and useful to the widest range of consumers.
Beginning in 2000, The National Flossing Council—the premier organization for floss advocacy and education - has sponsored the celebration of National Flossing Day on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The 2007 Proclamation for NFD encourages all citizens "to do whatever possible to promote the availability of floss in their homes, in restaurants, and in every place where the floss-needy may be found…," and in this spirit, McDonald's is being asked to get involved in offering dental floss with its meals.
"By offering floss, we hope McDonald's will set a new dental health standard for restuarants across the US," said Dr. Armand Lione, President of the National Flossing Council (NFC).
The National Flossing Council is an all-volunteer organization based in Washington, DC. To promote floss and flossing, the NFC operates a multimedia web site (www.flossing.org). The NFC's logo describes its main goal: "Help Spread Peace of Mouth – Floss."
Don Thompson, President
McDonald's USA
McDonald's USA
President, McDonald's USA
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Dear Mr. Thompson,
First, I would like to congratulate McDonald’s on its remarkable success in making its menu—and its customers—healthier. This move has served both the interests of the public, as well as the bottom line of McDonald’s. In keeping with the healthy options McDonald’s offers its customers, I’m writing to ask that you expand your efforts to include a concern with the dental health of the millions of people who dine at McDonald’s.
Each year, since the beginning of this century, we have celebrated National Flossing Day (NFD) on the Friday after Thanksgiving. As stated in the NFD Proclamation for 2007 (copy enclosed),
“All citizens are encouraged to do whatever possible to promote the
availability of floss in their homes, in restaurants, and in every place where
the floss-needy may be found….”
In this spirit, we would like to request that McDonald’s begins to offer a packet of floss to each customer (“Would you like floss with that?”), and perhaps include floss in the Happy Meal and/or the Mighty Meal for Kids, in addition to any toys, napkins and condiments. As you may know, dental floss is now available in individual packets, at a nominal cost. The best choice for a floss that would suit a wide cross section of the public, would be a strong monofilament floss. One large manufacturer of this type of floss in individual packets is Crest/Glide (P&G Corp.) Other sources for your company’s requirements could also be identified.
The benefits of flossing are clear – they range from immediate comfort to longer life. For McDonalds, promoting dental health would be a natural outgrowth of your concern with the overall health of your customers. I realize that the incorporation of any new process at McDonalds is a multifaceted task. Please call upon me if you need additional input as you review this proposal.
Sincerely yours,
Armand Lione, Ph.D.
President, The National Flossing Council