J. D. Heyes – Anti-GMO activists and those who advocate for organic foods have a lot to be happy about regarding the recent decision by fast food retailer giant McDonald’s to stop publishing its traditional monthly revenue reports. Their decision has everything to do with the fact that more Americans are now making better food choices.

As reported by Bloomberg News, McDonald’s has announced it won’t be publishing monthly same-store sales results in the coming days as Chief Executive Officer Steve Easterbrook works feverishly to revive revenue growth at the world’s biggest fast food chain.

For now, the company plans to release same-store sales reports for June with second-quarter earnings data, but then they will stop providing the monthly revenue reports, according to company spokeswoman Heidi Barker. In an email to Bloomberg News, Barker said results for May will be reported on June 8. The company does plan to continue providing quarterly reports of comparable-store sales.

Hiding the poor sales – and the reasons behind them

As the business news wire also reported, the fast food chain has been under economic siege for some time:

McDonald’s is struggling to turn around its business after 11 straight months of declining global comparable-store sales. Easterbrook, who took the helm in March, announced a turnaround plan earlier this month that includes reorganizing the company’s leadership, cutting costs and returning cash to shareholders. The change in sales reporting is meant to help McDonald’s focus on its longer-term performance, Easterbrook said when he announced the shift at an investor conference [recently].

“The monthly reporting just lends itself to more volatility, and I think investors focus on short-term issues,” Jack Russo, an analyst at Edward Jones & Co., told Bloomberg News. “It’s a good move. Quite honestly, it’s kind of long overdue.” Continue reading →