Healthy Fries?
Article
Photo credit: AP/Burger King, Noel Barnhurst
Burger King's new French fries have 20 percent fewer calories than its regular fries. The "Satisfries" cost about 30
cents more than its regular fries.
NEW YORK, New York (Achieve3000, December 13, 2013). Feeling bad about the calories in your French
fries? Burger King wants to alleviate the guilt. In September 2013, the world's second-largest hamburger chain
launched a new crinkle-cut French fry that the company says has 20 percent fewer calories than its regular
French fries.
Burger King is calling its new item "Satisfries," which is a play on the word "satisfied." Burger King says that
a small order of the new fries has 270 calories, down from 350 calories in a small order of its regular fries.
Burger King executives maintain that people won't be able to tell that Satisfries are lower in calories since
they're made with exactly the same ingredients as Burger King's regular fries—potatoes, oil, and batter. They're
even made in the same fryers and cooked for the same amount of time as regular fries.
The difference lies in how the batter is made. Burger King says that it adjusted the ingredients in its batter so
that it doesn't absorb as much oil. The new fries also have a new crinkle-cut shape, but that is in part so that
workers will be able to easily distinguish the new fries from the regular ones.
"You need to make things as simple as possible," said Eric Hirschorn, Burger King's chief marketing officer.
Alex Macedo, head of North American operations at Burger King, said that the chain worked with one of its
potato suppliers, McCain Foods, to develop the lower-calorie fries. What will stop other restaurants from
serving them? According to Macedo, McCain can't sell the fries to other fast food clients. And other suppliers
might have a tough time imitating the new fries.
Reporters were given a preview of Burger King's new fries at a New York City hotel a week before the
product's launch. Attendees were each served a carton of the fries that looked and tasted like any other fries.
They even left the familiar grease stains in their paper cartons.
At the presentation, Burger King compared its new fries to the "leading French fries," which are made by rival
fast food chain, McDonald's. Burger King executives maintain that on a pound-for-pound basis, the new fries
have 30 percent fewer calories than those served at the Golden Arches.
Healthy Fries?
Satisfries are the latest gambit by Burger King to revive its image. The company kicked off a campaign in 2012
with a revamped menu in hopes of boosting sales, but so far, those efforts have not yielded the desired results.
Still, Burger King believes that Satisfries will be so popular that people will be willing to pay more for them.
The suggested price for a small order of Satisfries is $1.89, compared with $1.59 for regular fries—a 19
percent markup.
The concept of taking an indulgent food and removing some of the guilt is not new. Supermarkets are filled
with baked potato chips, 100-calorie packs of cookies, and other healthier versions of popular treats that play
on people's inability to give up their food vices, even as they struggle to eat better. The idea is to create
something that skimps on calories, but not on taste.
At the recent product launch event, an attending dietician said that Satisfries are about giving people a way to
make a small change and still savor the foods they love.
"We're not trying to change the world," Hirschorn said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Directions: Using context clues from the article, write the meaning of the words below. Do
NOT use a dictionary. Use your own words.
alleviate (verb)
gambit (noun)
revamped (adjective)
savor (verb)
1. What cause-and-effect relationship is described in this article?

Burger King began selling Satisfries as part of its campaign to revive its image and increase sales.

Eric Hirschorn of Burger King wants people to choose Satisfries over regular fries, so he ordered the food item in a
crinkle-cut shape.

Alex Macedo wants the world to eat healthier, so he commissioned McCain Foods to develop a lower-calorie French
fry for McDonald's.

Burger King began selling Satisfries as part of a plan to raise the prices of all menu items.
2. The best alternate headline for this article would be __________.

Burger King Offers Reporters Reduced-Calorie Fries in Preview of Product Launch

Burger King Cuts Deal with McCain Foods Not To Sell Fries to Rival Fast Food Chains

Burger King Compares Calories in Its Fries to Calories in Rival McDonald's Fries

Burger King Launches Reduced-Calorie Fries in Effort To Revive Image and Increase Sales
3.
Which is the closest synonym for the word alleviate?

Analyze

Ease

Aggravate

Endorse
4. Which of these is a statement of opinion?

Satisfries' crinkle-cut shape is in part so workers will be able to easily distinguish the fries.

Since all kind of fries are unhealthy, Satisfries are not worth the extra money.

Burger King's new fries have 30 percent fewer calories than those served at McDonald's.

Reporters were given a preview of Burger King's new fries before the product's launch.
5. Based on information in the article, the reader can predict that __________.

Burger King will announce that all of its French fries will now have the same shape.

Dieticians will begin recommending regular French fries as part of a person's daily diet.

Other fast food chains will consider offering lower-calorie fries and healthier foods.

Potato supplier McCain Foods will sell its lower-calorie fries to several fast food clients.
6.
The article states:
Attendees were each served a carton of the fries that looked and tasted like any other fries. They
even left the familiar grease stains in their paper cartons.
Which would be the closest synonym for the word familiar?

Prestigious

Lavish

Random

Recognizable
7.
Which question is not answered by the article?

When did Burger King launch the new crinkle-cut Satisfries?

How many calories are in a small order of Satisfries from Burger King?

How much does a small order of Satisfries from Burger King cost?

When did Burger King begin working with McCain Foods to develop Satisfries?
8. Which passage from the article best supports the idea that Burger King is not the only company hoping to profit
from consumers' health concerns?

Burger King executives maintain that on a pound-for-pound basis, the new fries have 30 percent fewer calories than
those served at the Golden Arches.

The company kicked off a campaign in 2012 with a revamped menu in hopes of boosting sales, but so far, those
efforts have not yielded the desired results.

Alex Macedo, head of North American operations at Burger King, said that the chain worked with one of its potato
suppliers, McCain Foods, to develop the lower-calorie fries.

Supermarkets are filled with baked potato chips, 100-calorie packs of cookies, and other healthier versions of
popular treats that play on people's inability to give up their food vices, even as they struggle to eat better.