Boone scores every current McDonald's UK item using the nutrient profiling model published by the Department of Health and Social Care in January 2026. It is the government's own method for identifying less healthy food, and it replaces opinion with a calculation anyone can check.
Two in three items on the menu score above the less healthy threshold. The results are not always what people expect: a 452 calorie Double Cheeseburger scores worse than a 1,008 calorie Chicken Selects Sharebox, and a dip sachet scores worse than any burger.
Items are grouped by menu section, because the question people actually ask is which burger or which breakfast, not which item on the whole menu.
How the score works
Every item is scored per 100g, as the model requires.
Points are added for four things: energy, saturated fat, free sugars and salt. The more an item contains, the more points it collects, up to ten for each.
Points are then subtracted for fibre and protein, up to five each. There is one important exception: an item that has already collected eleven or more points loses its protein credit entirely. That single rule is why several beef burgers score worse than chicken items containing more protein.
A lower score is better. Food scoring 4 or more, and drinks scoring 1 or more, are what the government classifies as less healthy. On this menu the range runs from -2 for the Crispy Chicken Salads and plain Porridge, to 23 for the Chocolate Brownie.
Because the model works per 100g, portion size does not change the score. All three sizes of fries score 2, and a mini McFlurry scores the same as a regular one. For portion comparisons, Boone's calorie, sugar and salt rankings measure each item against the daily limit for your age.
McDonald's UK burgers, chicken and wraps scored with the government's 2018 nutrient profiling model, best first. The two Crispy Chicken Salads lead at -2, followed by the wraps and the Spicy McCrispy at -1. The beef burgers sit at the other end: a Big Mac scores 10, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese 14. The gap is saturated fat. Once an item reaches 11 penalty points the model withholds its protein credit entirely, which is what separates the beef from the chicken here.
The McDonald's UK breakfast menu scored with the 2018 nutrient profiling model. Plain Porridge, Porridge with Sugar and Flahavan's Quick Oats all reach -2, the joint best score on the whole menu, because they pick up no penalty points at all. The Egg and Cheese McMuffin is the best of the cooked options at 2. Sausage-based items score 11 to 12, and the Cheesy Bacon Flatbread is worst in the section at 13.
McDonald's UK sides, fries and dips scored with the 2018 nutrient profiling model. The Side Salad and a two-piece Veggie Dippers score 0, and fries score 2 in all three sizes because the model works per 100g rather than per portion. The dips are where this section falls apart: a BBQ Dip scores 20, worse than any burger on the menu, driven by free sugar and salt concentration.
McDonald's UK desserts scored with the 2018 nutrient profiling model. Muffins score best at 3, and the Oreo McFlurry is the best of the ice cream range at 6. Mini McFlurries score the same as the regulars, since the model measures composition rather than portion. The Chocolate Brownie is worst at 23, the highest score anywhere on the McDonald's UK menu, on maximum penalty points for both saturated fat and free sugar.
McDonald's UK cold drinks scored with the 2018 nutrient profiling model, where the threshold for drinks is 1 rather than 4. The zero sugar range and water all score 0. Most of the rest cluster between 3 and 5, including every milkshake and frappé. The Mango and Pineapple Smoothie is worst in the section at 6, above every milkshake, because the model penalises the free sugars in fruit juice and gives no credit for fruit in concentrate form.
McDonald's UK hot drinks scored with the 2018 nutrient profiling model. The milk-based coffees score best at -1, since the milk earns protein credit while the drink carries almost no free sugar or salt. Black coffee and tea score 0. The Toffee Latte is 1 and Hot Chocolate is 6, the only hot drink in the section that would sit above the threshold for drinks.
Scores use the 2018 nutrient profiling model updated by the Department of Health and Social Care in January 2026. The model works per 100g, so Boone converts each item from its published per-portion nutrition using McDonald's portion weights.
That means portion size does not affect the score: small, medium and large fries all score 2.
Penalty points come from energy, saturated fat, free sugars and sodium. Credit is subtracted for fibre and protein, but the model withholds protein credit from any item reaching 11 penalty points, which is why several beef burgers score worse than chicken items with similar protein.
Fruit, vegetable and nut content is a further credit in the model, but McDonald's does not publish it, so Boone scores it as zero throughout. This understates the score for salads and items containing vegetables, and Boone states it rather than estimating. The 2018 model is not currently applied to UK advertising or promotion rules, which still use the 2004/05 version.
Boone uses the 2018 model because it measures free sugars rather than total sugars, in line with current dietary recommendations.
Happy Meals and kids items are excluded because the model scores products rather than meals. Condiments, sweeteners and spreads are excluded because a per 100g score is not meaningful for a sachet. Figures checked in August 2026.