45 replies to this topic

[Hum]

More than 550 health professionals and organizations have signed a letter to McDonald's Corp. asking the maker of Happy Meals to stop marketing junk food to kids and retire Ronald McDonald.

The letter, slated to run in the form of full-page ads in six metropolitan newspapers around the country on Wednesday, acknowledges that "the contributors to today's (health) epidemic are manifold and a broad societal response is required. But marketing can no longer be ignored as a significant part of this massive problem."

"We are committed to responsible advertising and take our communications to children very seriously," McDonald's said in a statement. "We understand the importance of children's health and nutrition, and are committed to being part of the dialogue and solution. We serve high quality food, and our Happy Meals offer choice and variety in portions just for kids. Parents tell us they appreciate our Happy Meal choices."

The campaign is organized by the nonprofit watchdog group Corporate Accountability International.

The McDonald's letter, scheduled to run in ads in the Chicago Sun-Times, New York Metro, Boston Metro, San Francisco Examiner, Minneapolis City Pages and Baltimore City Paper, has been signed by such groups as the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition, as well as by well-known nutritionists and doctors like Andrew Weil, a doctor and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.

The campaign also includes an effort to get McDonald's to produce a report assessing its "health footprint." A shareholder's resolution, submitted by the watchdog group and The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, calls on McDonald's to tally the financial impact of fighting various measures like the San Francisco ordinance passed last year that established nutritional standards for kids' meals that come with toys. It will be voted on at McDonald's annual meeting on Thursday.

The letter from the health providers urges McDonald's to cease marketing food high in salt, fat, sugar and calories to kids, from the use of Ronald McDonald to Happy Meal toys.

more

[KillTheIrishman]

Wish in one and and... well you know. This will never happen.

[+remixedcat]

uhhhh ronald's the mascot for the company... not gonna happen

[Packet1009]

perceived entitlement is a wonderful thing...

[-KJ]

I don't think they're under any kind of pressure.

[ArialBlue]

But if we do not have fat salty food, then there would be less fat people, and if there are less fat people, we will have less people to look at in wonder and disgust.

[winlonghorn]

Again the parents place the blame anywhere but themselves. It is the parents' responsibility to monitor what kids eat and how they behave. It worked prior to now, so what makes this generation of parents and kids any different. It is a real shame!

[briangw]

winlonghorn, on 30 April 2012 - 17:46, said:

Again the parents place the blame anywhere but themselves. It is the parents' responsibility to monitor what kids eat and how they behave. It worked prior to now, so what makes this generation of parents and kids any different. It is a real shame!

Agreed. We can point fingers at everyone else except for those who are actually in charge of their children.

[+littleneutrino]

i really have not seen him that much in their advertisements lately so it probably would not be that big of a deal for them to rebrand then again with all the people that are pushing for the company to stop marketing to children this might get passed you never know.

[winlonghorn]

briangw, on 30 April 2012 - 17:53, said:

Agreed. We can point fingers at everyone else except for those who are actually in charge of their children.

Exactly! It is called lazy parenting! They need to take responsibility for what happens with their kids, but it is quite clear that "responsibility" is a dirty word these days! I was born in the early 80's and even from then all the way through the 90's, if myself or any other kid would have asked for candy or a meal at mcdonalds and our parents said no, the answer was "NO!". If we would have snuck and eaten it anyway, we would have at least been grounded.

[neufuse]

that's like Wendy's fireing wendy... not going to happen

[DocM]

I'm so bloody sick & tired of people like this. Damned PC'ers can go to hell IMO.

[Travelar]

winlonghorn, on 30 April 2012 - 17:46, said:

Again the parents place the blame anywhere but themselves. It is the parents' responsibility to monitor what kids eat and how they behave. It worked prior to now, so what makes this generation of parents and kids any different. It is a real shame!

Correcto-mundo. Easier to complain and lobby than to police your own kids....

[FMH]

Hu, on 30 April 2012 - 17:18, said:

"We understand the importance of children's health and nutrition, and are committed to being part of the dialogue and solution. We serve high quality food, and our Happy Meals offer choice and variety in portions just for kids. Parents tell us they appreciate our Happy Meal choices.".

I LOVE McDonald's response. Such an elegant lie!

[FMH]

winlonghorn, on 30 April 2012 - 17:56, said:

Exactly! It is called lazy parenting! They need to take responsibility for what happens with their kids, but it is quite clear that "responsibility" is a dirty word these days! I was born in the early 80's and even from then all the way through the 90's, if myself or any other kid would have asked for candy or a meal at mcdonalds and our parents said no, the answer was "NO!". If we would have snuck and eaten it anyway, we would have at least been grounded.

It's not about parents and responsibility. It's about marketing. Which is equivalent of 'hypnosis'.