Call to ban McDonald's!

[BigBecka]

Prince Charles calls for ‘ban’ on McDonald’s
The Prince of Wales threw his weight into the debate about healthy eating today and told a nutritionist that the “key” was to ban McDonald’s fast food restaurants.

The controversial remarks were made as the Prince was in Abu Dhabi attending the launch of a public health awareness campaign aimed at fighting diabetes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

He visited the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre and watched as a group of children chose from a selection of “good” and “bad” snacks for their school packed lunches.

Talking to Nadine Tayara, a nutritionist from the centre who had put the children through their paces, he asked her: “Have you got anywhere with McDonald’s? Have you tried getting it banned? That’s the key.”

Other members of his family had visited the chain, she said, and “have probably got a more up-to-date picture of us.”

The spokeswoman added: “This appears to be an off-the-cuff remark, in our opinion. It does not reflect our menu or where we are as a business.”

Charles was clearly unaware of some of the moves the company has made, she said, such as improved labelling, supporting sustainable agriculture and nutritional changes with choice and variety.

In August 2005 Prince Harry popped into a McDonald’s for a “buy one get one free” meal. He is reported to have bought two chicken burgers and a strawberry milkshake, eating the meal on the pavement outside.

His brother, Prince William, was pictured queuing up for a meal at McDonald’s in January 1992.

A Clarence House spokesman, travelling with the Prince and Duchess on their ten-day tour of the Gulf, later issued a statement.

It said: “The Prince of Wales has for a long time advocated the importance of a balanced diet, especially for children. In visiting the diabetes centre today, he was keen to emphasise the need for children to enjoy the widest variety of food and not to eat any particular sort of food to excess.”

Encouraging pupils to eat sensibly is one of the initiatives of the campaign - Diabetes Knowledge Action - and it is hoped the UAE children will pass the healthy eating habits on to their families.

When all the children picked up bottles of water and tiny bags containing fruit and vegetables, ignoring crisps and chocolate the Royal couple laughed.

Prince Charles, who was visiting the centre with the Duchess of Cornwall, is a keen advocate of organic food and in 1986 set up a farm on his Highgrove Estate that does not use artificial pesticides of fertilisers.

The UAE has the second highest prevalence of diabetes in the world with more than 20 per cent of those aged 20 - 79 already diagnosed with the illness, while 40 per cent of the population are prone to the disease.

Jane Landon, the deputy chief executive of the National Heart Forum, said that the Prince could help point out the fast food chain’s association with and sponsorship of sporting events such as the Olympic Games. “What does that say to children and young people?” she said.

The National Heart Forum has supported moves to crack down on advertising and feels restrictions are not robust enough.

“These are some practical ways in which we can start to change the food culture,” Ms Landon said. “There are things that companies do which we would argue influence children’s diets in an unhelpful way.”

But she said the organisation would not be advocating the banning of whole companies or foods.

In the past Prince Charles has caused controversy with his views on a number of issues including architecture, education and alternative medicine.

Last May, in a speech to health ministers from around the world, he called on governments to ‘abandon their conventional mindset’ in tackling health problems.

His appeal for a new partnership between complementary and orthodox healing came shortly after 13 leading British doctors and scientists – including one Nobel Prize winner for medicine – urged cash-strapped NHS trusts to reject alternative treatments.

On architecture he has famously commented on the “monstrous carbuncles” of modern architecture.

In an outspoken attack on modern-day teacher training methods, the Prince has claimed that the way history and English were being taught was threatening to undermine civilised society and destroy Britain’s shared cultural heritage.

In November 2005, the Prince had to defend his views about education after a highly publicised spat with Charles Clarke, then the Education Secretary, who accused him of being old-fashioned and patronising following the publication of a memo involving a former personal assistant in the Royal Household.

Adam Fresco, The Times, Wednesday 28th February 2007, www.timesonline.com

[BigBecka]

McDonalds ‘should have tobacco-style warning’

Burgers should carry tobacco-style health warnings, a senior Labour MP suggested today.

Consumers should know how much exercise it would take to burn off the meal before tucking in, David Hinchliffe said.

A McDonald’s cheeseburger with fries and a shake equated to a nine mile walk, and there were “parallels with tobacco”.

“At the moment calorie content does not mean a great deal to people,” Mr Hinchliffe said. “Perhaps the message is not sufficiently blunt.”

Julian Hilton-Johnson, vice-president McDonalds Restaurants Ltd rejected the comparison with tobacco, but agreed people should be clearly told what they were eating.

The burger boss was giving evidence to the Commons health select committee, chaired by Mr Hinchliffe.

Nutritional information “certainly should be simplified”, Mr Hilton-Johnson told MPs. “It is important that whatever message is put out there is well understood.”

He was appearing alongside other food industry chiefs giving evidence to the committee’s inquiry into rising obesity rates.

Mr Hinchliffe agreed with Martin Glenn, president of PepsiCo UK, which owns Walkers, that any labelling system had to be “universal”.

The Labour MP said he had only singled out the McDonald’s meal as an example because he had information about how much exercise was needed to burn the calories off.

The Committee had not reached any conclusions about the way ahead, the chairman said.

However, he clearly believed more needed to be done to make people aware of exactly what they were eating.

The Health Select Committee has already criticised David Beckham and Gary Lineker for endorsing Pepsi and Walker’s crisps and today it is the turn of the producers.

Today’s session comes after McDonald’s was yesterday banned from repeating a “misleading” advert for its fries.

The advert featured a photograph of a potato in a fries’ box below the headline: “The story of our fries (end of story).”

It said that after selecting certain potato varieties, “we peel them, slice them, fry them and that’s it”.

But the Advertising Standards Authority received a number of complaints saying it missed out less savoury parts of the production process.

They included a claim that McDonald’s fries were part-cooked in beef tallow - which the chain says it has not used in the UK since 1993 - frozen, flown around the world and deep fried again.

Other complaints said the fries contained “significant amounts of salt” and a dextrose sugar solution at certain times of the year.

Ahead of today’s meeting McDonald’s insisted it was committed to improving people’s awareness of healthy eating.

“McDonald’s is committed to improving awareness of the importance of a healthy, balanced lifestyle,” the company said. "We have widened menu choice, improved our nutritional information and encourage people to be as active as they can.

“McDonald’s welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the obesity debate in the UK. We have already submitted written evidence to the Health Select Committee’s inquiry and look forward to discussing how joint working amongst relevant stakeholders can help.”

BY PA NEWS, The Times, 27 November 2003, www.timesonline.co.uk

[Sergio]

very interesting…
I think it must be easier for Macdonald’s to provide a selection of healthy foods than put the warning

[AndyBa]

And what would be this selection of healthy food by macdonald?
burgers with lots of vegetables and beans, made from whole wheat?

[BigBecka]

A while back macdonald’s tried to stock some healthy food - chicken ceasar salad, which had so much fatty chicken, creamy sauce and cheese, that it was as high calorie and fatty as any of the burgers

[AndyBa]

Are there any vegan meals by MacDonald’s in UK?

[BigBecka]

Well, I haven’t been in a MacDonald’s for a while… Even my omni friends prefer Burger King and Subway I last went to a MacDonalds about 3 years ago, and they had just set up a healthy eating initiative: they had replaced their old veggie-burger with a quorn burger, and they also sold a mock chicken ceasar slad with quorn pieces in it. Unfortunately, quorn contains egg albumen, and is not vegan. There was a green salad for sale as a side dish. I’m not sure if they still sell this range though…

I’ve just looked on the McDonald’s website, which took me to a very informative website makeupyourownmind.co.uk/ which is run by mcdonald’s, to answer some nutritional questions.
The Grilled Vegi Melt Toasted Deli Sandwich is approved by the Vegetarian Society. However, they state explicitly that there is NO VEGAN FOOD on the menu. Interestingly, they claim that the fries are now cooked in vegetable oil and are vegetarian after all

How about where you are? I think it’s odd that McDonald’s have a different menu for every country I have a friend who ordered a veggie-burger from a McDonald’s in New York: they looked at her oddly, and then gave her a burger bun with just salad in it! On the other hand, I went to a McDonald’s in Rome that had beautiful marble tables and romantic lighting, was immaculately clean, and all the food was cooked fresh

[AndyBa]

Over here the macDonald’s menu is quite scarce… and I visit it only when I’m passing by and I heavily need to pee they usually have nice and clean toilets

I don’t understand how can it be that the fries are made with vegetable oil and at the same time they are not vegan?

[BigBecka]

I don’t understand how can it be that the fries are made with vegetable oil and at the same time they are not vegan?

Yes, the mind boggles! I know that some frozen oven chips contain milk: they are essentially reformed mashed potato. But I don’t know if that’s true for MacDonald’s fries.

[MohammadSufyan]

I dont know why is banning on McDonald. In my country All the franchise of McDonalds are closed. And now I tink it will not be open again. I like McDonald but not like more.

[Tanner]

McDonalds will be replaced. As long as people want cheap food that tastes fatty and salty, someone will make it. The key is to educate the public about proper health and nutrition. Once your eyes are open you will not be able to eat at places like that.

Government bans don’t tend to work and especially when you’re in a democracy where the majority of people disagree. One by one. That is how to build an empire. (or convert a country to healthy eaters)

[meign]

In my opinion, there is no need to ban Mcdonald’s. First, we should only educate people about the food they are taking in and what are the effects these food might give their health. We just have to remind them every now and then. When time comes that they are already educated and they have known what is and what is not good to eat, they might have the voluntary act to avoid eating fast food. And when people avoid fast food, fast food might have less income eventually these fastfoods will soon close their establishments, so no need to ban them just an idea guys

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[wude]

Why would a health-conscientious vegetarian go to a McDonald’s in the first place?

[RykerFranklin]

I dont know why is banning on McDonald. In my country All the franchise of McDonalds are closed. And now I tink it will not be open again. I like McDonald but not like more.

[csitech]

Why ban McDonald’s? Just don’t go there. Everyone assumes that they are responsible for everyone else. Like they know what’s best for them. Leave them alone to make their choices, and you make yours. If people want to patronize McDonald’s and give them their money isn’t that their business? Pretty presumptuous and more than a little arrogant I think.