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Over the past half-century, millions of people worldwide have chomped through trillions of McDonald鈥檚 burgers and fries. But by the turn of the millennium, critics had made the corporation shorthand for everything that鈥檚 bad in food in rich countries: over-processed, fatty, unhealthy. Faced with this image problem, and stalling and falling profits, McDonald鈥檚 began fighting back. In 2003 鈥� in what will sound to some a deeply ironic gesture 鈥� it set up the Global Advisory Council on Healthy Lifestyles. Its role was to reform McDonald鈥檚 from within and make the company look like it was taking the global obesity epidemic seriously.

The council recruited some of the world鈥檚 most respected scientists: biochemists, nutritionists, policy advisers and epidemiologists, keen to help the food giant transform itself. Given the council鈥檚 academic credibility and good intentions, is it wrong to be cynical about McDonald鈥檚鈥� motivation? And given the hold the company has on the hearts and minds of its many customers, is it better to try to applaud the company for its efforts?

Canadian obesity and nutrition researcher Harvey Anderson thinks so. He is one of the elite scientists working with McDonald鈥檚, so Diane Martindale asked him if we should start trusting the food giant.

Morgan Spurlock鈥檚 film Super Size Me showed what happened when he ate McDonald鈥檚 meals for 30 days. What did you think of it?

Garbage. The movie was too extreme to be educational. What pleased me was that most people I know thought it was a bit of a joke. They enjoyed it, but it was more of a question: how could he do that to himself? McDonald鈥檚 didn鈥檛 force-feed him. Spurlock is an anti-obesity advocate picking on the biggest target. He didn鈥檛 show the evils of eating at McDonald鈥檚, he showed the evils of over-consumption. Spurlock could have gone to any greasy spoon and done the same thing with the same result. But doing it at a small, unknown restaurant wouldn鈥檛 have had much impact, would it?

So why did McDonald鈥檚 do away with the 鈥淪upersize鈥� option? It was working for them, wasn鈥檛 it?

One of the first things the council told McDonald鈥檚 was to back off from supersizing: it just happened to coincide with the silly movie. People don鈥檛 need Supersize: if the Supersize option is there, people will go for it. Sometimes you have to help them trip over the right choice. We do have a big obesity epidemic and it鈥檚 wrong to have large serving sizes.

You are a top nutritionist and obesity researcher. Why did you join a council sponsored by the world鈥檚 biggest fast-food chain?

Here鈥檚 an organisation serving millions of meals a day and you have a chance to have an impact on the composition of the food, the nutrition and the public鈥檚 health. Why not? If I or anyone in public health services was in a position to influence the way the 35 million people in Canada eat, we鈥檇 love that opportunity. The trouble is, there鈥檚 no organised way of getting at it 鈥� McDonald鈥檚 is that way. So I鈥檇 rather work from within the system to change things rather than simply complaining.

How did you set about changing the company鈥檚 billion-dollar-grossing menu?

First, we checked what was in the meal, and figured out what was missing. Was there enough fibre in the buns? Were there things to add to make it more nutritious 鈥� say, an apple to the 鈥淗appy Meal鈥� and milk instead of a soft drink? We worked with Cathy Kapica, global director of nutrition at the Chicago head office. The most difficult aspect was and is not altering the taste too much, because people complain. McDonald鈥檚 criteria covering how its food looks, tastes and its composition is rigorous. If you could take a frozen McDonald鈥檚 hamburger, grill and eat it at home, you鈥檇 say: 鈥淭his is the freshest tasting piece of meat I鈥檝e ever had.鈥� It鈥檚 just absolutely wonderful.

How do you know?

I鈥檝e tasted it, on my first visit to McDonald鈥檚 main testing kitchen in Chicago 鈥� what they call Hamburger University 鈥� when I joined the council. They grilled me a burger patty and said: 鈥淲hy don鈥檛 you just taste our hamburger meat, without any dressings or bun?鈥� And it was delicious.

What do you think you鈥檝e achieved health-wise?

The Happy Meal used to be a small burger, fries, fizzy drink and toy. Now you can choose: there鈥檚 apple, yoghurt, milk or juice as substitutes for the fries, and pop at no extra charge. They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. We told McDonald鈥檚 to add fibre to their buns; now we are encouraging whole grains. Compared with 10 years ago, there is much more fruit and vegetables on the menu.

Are the sales improving?

Yes. People see they can choose to eat a salad at McDonald鈥檚 and still have fun. The fact that the choice is there broadens a child鈥檚 vision of what fun foods are. If they see other kids eating a salad or an apple, that鈥檚 more powerful than mom and dad saying: 鈥淓at your salad!鈥� If people would only select the choice that鈥檚 suitable for them 鈥� that鈥檚 the tricky part.

Is the company image changing?

Yes, I think we are changing people鈥檚 perception. People tended to close their minds and say: 鈥淚鈥檓 just not going there.鈥� But now they say: 鈥淲ow, that was a good salad.鈥�

鈥淧eople who had closed their minds say, 鈥榃ow, that was a good salad鈥欌��

Will there be any scientific papers available showing some independent evidence of this shift?

McDonald鈥檚 is evaluating its meals. Cathy Kapica is starting to publish 鈥� and presenting data at scientific meetings is a real first for McDonald鈥檚. She presented at the Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego in April and she will present at the International Congress of Nutrition in Durban, South Africa, in September.

Quite a change. But while McDonald鈥檚 is now the number one seller of salads in North America, those salads are full of sugar.

There鈥檚 nothing wrong with a little sugar. It鈥檚 4 calories per gram of sugar versus 9 calories per gram of fat. People don鈥檛 think about that. I eat McDonald鈥檚 salads all the time. I just had one of its newer ones, the fruit and walnut 鈥� it鈥檚 a wonderful little salad. But you do have to choose your salad dressing carefully. McDonald鈥檚 is trying to drop the calorie content of some of the dressings because not everyone knows the difference between one made with oil versus one lower in calories.

Is working for McDonald鈥檚 like going to the dark side, a sort of career suicide?

Just the opposite. Most people see it as a wonderful opportunity. Others say it鈥檚 nice that you are brave enough to take it on. It鈥檚 not so much my colleagues that are negative or closed-minded about it. They say to me: 鈥淲hy don鈥檛 you suggest to McDonald鈥檚 that they do this or this?鈥� They see it as an avenue to change. That鈥檚 comforting. In truth, I did expect that there would be more negative opinions, but most people think we have to work with fast-food companies, we can鈥檛 be in an ivory tower throwing darts. It鈥檚 friends, acquaintances, or a vegetarian, or someone who never takes their kids to McDonald鈥檚, who say to me: 鈥淗ow could you work for them?鈥� When they say that I give them an educational talk!

Do you eat at McDonald鈥檚?

I probably go there once a week. I like the Happy Meal because it鈥檚 a small burger, and I have the yoghurt and juice instead of pop and fries. I like my high-fibre breakfast cereals, but sometimes I鈥檒l just grab a breakfast bagel on the way to work. It鈥檚 wonderful, fresh, but I don鈥檛 put the mayo on it. It鈥檚 a good start to the day. I hope that we鈥檒l eventually get to whole-wheat bagels.