Responding to mounting pressure to offer more healthful options, particularly for kids, McDonald’s set new goals on Tuesday to reduce sodium, added sugar and saturated fat across its menus, as well as to include more fruit and fewer fries in all Happy Meals.

Jan Fields, president of Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s USA, said the chain has spent the past few months developing ways to improve the nutritional quality of menu items in response to consumer demand.

It also announced a new smart phone app to help consumers access nutritional information about McDonald’s menu.

Additionally, the company is planning a nationwide tour of town hall-type meetings, where McDonald’s officials will listen to consumers and nutrition experts about how they would like to see the menu changed.

“Right now, America is having important conversations about childhood obesity,” Fields said. “McDonald’s is part of those conversations.”

Responding to criticism
As the nation’s largest burger chain, with more than 14,000 U.S. units, McDonald’s has come under fire for contributing to the nation’s obesity problem, especially among kids.

In California, McDonald’s faces a lawsuit charging that its practice of offering toys in Happy Meals unfairly lures kids to make poor nutrition choices — although the company’s announcement Tuesday may impact that legal challenge.

San Francisco and Santa Clara counties in California have banned toys in kids’ meals that don’t meet certain nutritional standards. And a group of federal agencies has proposed strict nutritional standards for food marketed to kids in guidelines expected to be finalized later this year.

Fields said McDonald’s has already added many more healthful options to its menu, but that the time has come to take more action.