When you think of Lethbridge, what comes to mind? Rich Indigenous history and culture, perhaps? What about blistering winds?
Lethbridge is known for a lot of things, and you can add happiness to that list, according to everyone’s favourite fast food joint, McDonald’s.
Last week, McDonald’s released a list of communities in Canada that sold the most Happy Meals in 2023.
Lethbridge ranked high on that list and was crowned the ‘Happiest City’ in Alberta because it sold the most Happy Meals in the province.
Whether or not Lethbridge is actually the happiest city is up for debate. Depending on who you ask, you might get some colourful answers.
Lethbridge may have sold the most Happy Meals in Alberta, but just how happy are Happy Meals?
Happy Meals include toys, a soda, a hamburger or chicken nuggets, and fries. What’s not to like? Aside from the predatory nature of using toys to appeal to children.
Whether kids are eating their McDonald’s Happy Meals or not, the meals are making children happy. Or at least they are supposed to.
That’s because 10 cents from the sale of every Happy Meal is donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), a nonprofit family and children’s charity.
Ronald McDonald House Charities Alberta (RMHC Alberta) provides families a place to stay and receive medical treatment for their sick or injured children.
RMHC Alberta serves about 1,100 families annually through its four Houses in Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary, and Medicine Hat.
According to Michèle Boudria, McDonald’s Canada’s President and CEO, more than $100 million has been donated to charity thanks to the sale of more than one billion Happy Meals.
“If you have purchased a Happy Meal at a McDonald’s restaurant in Canada in the last two decades, you’ve supported RMHC in its mission and helped families in your own community,” said Boudria.
Not So Happy, Happy Meals
Lethbridge sold a truckload of Happy Meals in 2023. It isn’t know exactly how many Happy Meals were sold, so we will have to trust McDonald’s divine judgement.
Lethbridge may have sold the most Happy Meals, but that doesn’t mean business is booming for the Golden Arches. Earlier this summer, McDonald’s reported its first loss in more than three years.
There are a few reasons for McDonald’s loss. The company’s second-quarter 2024 results cite the war in the Middle East as one reason.
In 2023, worldwide boycotts against companies linked to Israel hit McDonald’s in the pockets due to the company’s perceived support of Israel.
Rising food costs are another glaring reason fewer people are spending their money on McDonald’s. Over the last decade, the fast food joint has beefed up its prices by more than 100 percent.
McDonald’s claims the average price of its menu items has increased by 40 percent since 2019, which is “closely connected to the increase of costs to run restaurants, which have gone up.”
Both of these numbers are scary and speak to the food crisis so many Canadians and Albertans are facing.
Food is more expensive across the board in Canada, not just at McDonald’s. Last year, NIQ data showed that there was a two percent decrease in food sales by volume in Canada.
One explanation for the decline in food sales is that Canadians are eating less food or relying on food banks more often because buying food elsewhere is too expensive.
In response to McDonald’s staggering price increase, a Reddit user commented “It stopped me from going there. It’s good though, I’ve learned that sometimes I’m better off not eating.”
Food Banks Canada reported that there were a total of almost two million food bank visits in March 2023, marking a new national record and an over 30 percent increase compared to 2022.
In the same month, Interfaith Food Bank in Lethbridge saw almost 3,000 visits, representing a nearly 70 percent jump since 2019.
Last year, Lethbridge ranked 76th on Point2’s list of happiest cities in Canada. Instead of Happy Meals, Point2 used happiness-related metrics to measure happiness, like economy and health.
Issues like food insecurity are enough to damper anyone’s spirit. Lethbridge might have ranked low on Point2’s list, but it’s certainly not the unhappiest place in Canada, AKA London, Ontario.
