Commitment to Families

We are a family restaurant which is why we are committed to offering an outstanding dining experience, with food that is appeals to children for being delicious and to parents because it is tasty and nutritious.

Operating in 20 markets in Latin America and the Caribbean, we stay close to the communities we serve by running various programs and initiatives throughout the year.

Our initiatives

Happy Meal

In 2011, we began the path of the Happy Meal transformation, which began with adjustments in the nutritional balances and continued with social and environmental initiatives.

Nutritional evolution

We have transformed and evolved ingredients of the Happy Meal, adapting and aligning ourselves to children’s needs and consumer trends.

We offer a rich and nutritious menu, with a greater variety of food groups. All of the combinations add up to less than 600 calories, less fat, sodium and no added sugar.

Nutritional calculator

Customers are provided with a nutritional calculator that allows them to review all locally offered menus, understand the nutritional values of their meals and how well they meet their daily needs as determined by the WHO. The tool indicates the calories, carbohydrates and nutritional information for each meal.

Our work over the years

2011

2013

2015

2019

2020

2011

Incorporated cherry tomatoes, kids-sized fries, apple as a dessert and salads sides.

2013

Removed soft drinks from the Happy Meal section of our menu board.
Included nutritional information in the Happy meal section of our menu board.

2015

Added yogurt as a Happy Meal dessert option.

2019

Introduced the new, 600 calories or less menu.

2020

Removed artificial colors and flavors from all Happy Meal menu items.

Reading and learning

For almost a decade now, we have been promoting the Happy Meal Book initiative, offering families the choice between a book or a toy as their Happy Meal gift. In this way, we not only contribute to the democratization of access to children’s literature in the region, but also encourage children to approach reading as a fundamental tool for their intellectual and creative development.

Through different collections, we promote family reading and encourage children to let their imagination fly.

We are one of the largest children’s books distributors in Latin America. Since 2013, we have delivered more than 29 million copies across the region.
+890,000 books produced during 2022.

Sustainable toys

As part of the evolution process of the Happy Meal and increasingly committed to caring for the environment, we are aligned with McDonald’s global commitment to reduce the use of plastics in Happy meal toys and transition to 100% renewable, recycled and certified materials by the end of 2025.

Thus, in addition to encouraging children to play and have fun, we promote sustainable habits in families.

Responsible Marketing

We adhere to the McDonald’s Global Marketing to Children Guideline, which outlines our global commitments and expectations. We are audited annually on our compliance with these commitments.

In 2018, we made 5 commitments:

#1 Offer more balanced meals
#2 Simplify ingredients
#3 Be transparent with Happy Meal nutrition information
#4 Responsible Marketing
#5 Leverage innovative marketing to help impact the purchase of foods and beverages containing recommended food groups in the Happy Meal

2013

2014

2015

2017

2018

2020

2021

2013

McDonald’s Corporation partners with Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

2014

First interim goal: meet commitments in 30-50% of markets.

2015

First public progress report for Italy and the USA’s in 2014.

2017

Report on 2016 progress with results from 13 countries.

2018

Second interim target: commitments in 50-100% of markets.

2020

Final target: all 5 commitments in 20 markets.

2021

We launched the Clean Label campaign to communicate parents about nutritional quality.

Ronald Mcdonald House Charities

For more than 45 years, we have been supporting families with sick children in their time of need by helping them stay together and access medical care and resources they need.

Having a presence in most of the countries where we operate, RMHC manages three flagship programs: Ronald McDonald House Charities, Family Rooms and the Pediatric Mobile Unit.

We impact hundreds of thousands of families every year.
We have 30 Ronald McDonald Houses in the region, and 35 family rooms and two Mobile Pediatric Care Units.
All the money raised through our largest solidarity campaign “Big Day” across the region, is donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities in each country and to NGOs.

Gran Día

Año a año, realizamos nuestra jornada solidaria, a través de la cual destinamos parte de la recaudación de las ventas de la hamburguesa Big Mac a brindar apoyo a los programas de la fundación Casa Ronald McDonald de la región.

Este 2020 mantuvimos nuestro compromiso con las familias adaptando esta tradicional campaña al contexto de pandemia. A través de preventas digitales, bonos especiales y eventos online; a la vez que reforzando las ventas por AutoMac y McDelivery, logramos superar nuestras expectativas.

Más de USD 5 millones recaudados, que equivalen a más de 2 millones de hamburguesas BigMac vendidas.

Our commitment for the future

Annuals

2025

Annuals

2025

GOAL 17

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

We are aware that we cannot do this alone. Achieving this goal requires the development of strategic alliances that enable us to carry out initiatives that impact more people. This makes SDG 17 transversal to all our pillars.

Our contribution: We are all in this together, from Arcos Dorados’ employees, Franchisees and suppliers to investors, NGOs and academics, and we know that local communities and subject matter experts are critical to lasting impact. Continuing to build meaningful partnerships will help us prioritize the issues of greatest concern to our business and society, and drive innovation.

GOAL 12

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Responsible sourcing of our food and packaging is fundamental to our ability to continue to source high-quality raw materials in the future. This includes making the most efficient use of natural resources and minimizing negative impacts on people and the planet.

Our contribution: We have a strong commitment to source only certified and recycled raw materials. In addition, we work to eliminate single-use plastics from our operation and generate circular economy procedures that allow us to reduce our impact on the environment.

GOAL 7

Ensure access to affordable, safe, sustainable and modern energy for all

Energy is the main contributor to climate change, accounting for around 60% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.

Our contribution: Through changes in habits in our restaurants, we are working to ensure sustainable energy management.

GOAL 6

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

The sustainable management of water resources, in turn, allows us to improve the management of food and energy production and thus contribute to the economic growth of communities. To this end, it is important that we work to reduce the consumption of this natural resource.

Our contribution: We carry out different implementations in our restaurants that allow us to regulate consumption. In addition, through the Natal Program, we reuse water for cleaning and irrigation tasks in the restaurants.

GOAL 15

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Forests around the world are threatened by deforestation, which is estimated to account for up to 15% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This represents a real risk to our business, our supply chain and our customers.

Our contribution: Committed to caring for them, we were the first company to sign a global agreement to combat climate change, engaging in the supply chain to ensure that our raw materials do not contribute to deforestation.

GOAL 14

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

The ocean drives the global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind. Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, much of our food and even the oxygen in the air we breathe are provided and regulated by the sea.

Our contribution: To ensure their proper management, we work to ensure that we source from sources that are respectful of the seas and the environment.

GOAL 13

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects

Climate change is the greatest environmental issue of our time and affects our customers, our employees, from our supply chain to the communities in which we operate our restaurants.

Our contribution: With a presence in 20 countries in the region, at Arcos Dorados, we are using our scale, engaging across our supply chain, to help address this defining issue for current and future generations.

GOAL 8

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth; full and productive employment and decent work for all

Reducing unemployment and developing useful skills, especially for young people, are essential components of sustained and inclusive economic growth. With a presence in 20 countries in the region, we employ more than 100,000 people, 71% of whom are young people between the ages of 19 and 24.

Our contribution: We are one of the main employers of young people in the region. We understand that it is through first job opportunities and ongoing training that we can ensure people’s professional development.

GOAL 4

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Education contributes to reducing inequalities, empowering people around the world to lead healthier and more sustainable lives.

Our contribution: We remain strongly committed to providing training opportunities for all people, whether they are employees or young people in their final years of secondary school.

GOAL 3

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Access to health and well-being is a human right, and this is why the Sustainable Development Agenda offers a new opportunity to ensure that all people, not just those with the highest purchasing
power, can access the highest standards of health and healthcare.

Our contribution: From Arcos Dorados and the McDonald’s system of which we are part, we work to keep families with children receiving medical treatment together and close to specialists. In addition, we are constantly evolving, providing changes in our menu offerings and alternatives to bring children to incorporate new habits into their daily lives.