Say goodbye to cheeseburgers! McDonald’s banishing item from Happy Meal menu

NEW YORK (AP) – McDonald’s is banishing cheeseburgers and chocolate milk from its Happy Meal menu in an effort to cut down on the calories, sodium, saturated fat and sugar kids consume at its restaurants.

Diners can still ask specifically for cheeseburgers or chocolate milk with the kid’s meal, but the fast-food company says not listing them will reduce how often they’re ordered. It says after it removed soda from the Happy Meal menu four years ago orders for it fell 14 percent.

The Happy Meal has long been a target of health advocates who link it to childhood obesity. McDonald’s has made many tweaks, including cutting the size of its fries, adding fruit and changing to a lower-sugar apple juice.

The latest changes will occur in the United States by June.