McDonald's is taking the phrase "Do you want fries with that?" to a new level in Japan, effectively asking customers, "Do you want a whole lot of fries with that?" with their new "Mega Potato" item.
The fast-food chain announced the release of the Mega Potato, a 1,142-calorie heaping pound of the brand's famous fries. The excessive offering is double the size of a container of large fries.
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For comparisons sake, a "regular" large french fries container has 460 calories; a Big Mac has 540 calories, and a double-quarter pounder with cheese contains 740 calories. With 1,140 calories, the
Mega Potato is more than half of a woman's recommended daily caloric intake, according to the Daily Mail.
The Mega Potato will hit the market in late June and cost $4.80, which is less expensive than the $6 it costs for two separate orders of large fries.
Japan Today was critical of the new menu item.
"The Mega Potato will set you back 490 yen and also cost you a large chunk of your dignity and possibly a few years of your life," the publication wrote.
The offering, which will only be available in Japan, is a departure from the company's initiatives in the U.S., where there are now healthier options, including chicken McWraps, Egg White Delights, and smoothies that use fresh fruit. The company created the items because the nation's obesity epidemic has often been attributed to fast-food chains, with McDonald's often cited as the foremost culprit.
Recently, a 9-year-old girl from British Columbia accused the billion-dollar company of trying to fool kids into making unhealthy choices.
Hannah Robertson attended McDonald's annual shareholder meeting on Thursday with her mother from Kelowna, British Columbia to Oak Brook, Ill., where the company is based.
"Something that I don't think is fair is when big companies try to trick kids into eating food that isn't good for them by using toys and cartoon characters," Robertson read during the question and answer session, according to Yahoo! News. "If parents haven't taught their kids about healthy eating, then the kids probably believe that junk food is good for them because it might taste good. Mr. Thompson, don't you want kids to be healthy so they can live a long and happy life?"
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