McDonald’s Corp said Tuesday it will soon tweak its Happy Meals, adding apples to the popular children’s meals and reducing the french fry portion to provide healthier fare.

McDonald’s, taking heat from parents, consumer groups and local lawmakers over the nutritional content and marketing of Happy Meals, said the changes will be adapted in September and the new Happy Meals would be available in all of its 14,000 U.S. restaurants by the end of the first quarter of 2012.

“We are going to be casting our gaze more closely on portion management as well as how we can introduce more food groups such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains,” Cindy Goody, McDonald’s senior director of nutrition, said on a webcast.

The new Happy Meals will be 20 percent-less calories than today’s most popular Happy Meal, executives said. It will contain the new child’s french fry portion in 1.1 ounces, from its previous 2.4 ounces, and the new apple portion size in 1.2 ounces, compared with its previous 3.1 ounces previously.

There will be no price change in the new composition and toys will still be included in every Happy Meal.

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