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 McDonald's UK menu score above the less healthy threshold: 45 of 77 foods and 31 of 45 drinks. The worst is not a burger. A Chocolate Brownie scores 23, a BBQ Dip sachet scores 20, and both beat every burger on the menu.
Items are grouped by menu section, because the question people actually ask is which burger or which dessert, not which item on the whole menu.
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 a 452 calorie Double Cheeseburger scores 14 while a 1,008 calorie Chicken Selects Sharebox scores 3.
A higher score is worse. 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 23 for the Chocolate Brownie down to -2 for the Crispy Chicken Salads and plain Porridge.
Because the model works per 100g, portion size does not change the score. A mini McFlurry scores the same as a regular one, and all three sizes of fries score 2. 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, worst first. Four items tie at 14: the Double Cheeseburger, Big Arch with Bacon and both Quarter Pounders with Cheese. Saturated fat is what puts them there, and once an item reaches 11 penalty points the model withholds its protein credit entirely, which is why a 452 calorie Double Cheeseburger scores worse than a 1,008 calorie Chicken Selects Sharebox.
McDonald's UK desserts scored with the 2018 nutrient profiling model, worst first. The Chocolate Brownie scores 23, the worst of any item on the McDonald's UK menu, taking maximum penalty points on both saturated fat and free sugar. The Sugar Donut is second at 17. Because the model measures composition rather than portion, mini McFlurries score the same as the regular versions.
McDonald's UK sides and dips scored with the 2018 nutrient profiling model, worst first. The dips dominate: BBQ Dip scores 20, Sweet Chilli 18 and Korean BBQ 17, all worse than any burger on the menu. A dip sachet is small, but the model scores per 100g and these are concentrated sugar and salt. Fries score 2 and the Side Salad 0.
The McDonald's UK breakfast menu scored with the 2018 nutrient profiling model, worst first. The Cheesy Bacon Flatbread leads at 13 despite being only 280 calories, and the sausage-based McMuffins follow at 11 to 12. Saturated fat drives all of them. At the other end of the section, plain Porridge scores -2 and picks up no penalty points at all.
McDonald's UK cold drinks scored with the 2018 nutrient profiling model, where the threshold for drinks is 1 rather than 4. The Mango and Pineapple Smoothie is worst at 6, above every milkshake and frappé, because the model penalises the free sugars in fruit juice and gives no fruit credit for juice concentrate. The Caramel Iced Frappé follows at 5, and most milkshakes sit at 4.
McDonald's UK hot drinks scored with the 2018 nutrient profiling model, worst first. Hot Chocolate is the only hot drink above the threshold at 6. The Toffee Latte is 1 and everything else sits at 0 or below, with the milk-based coffees scoring -1 because the milk earns protein credit while the drink carries almost no free sugar or salt.
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.