Follow on Google News News By Tag * Mcdonald S * Ronald * Banzhaf * Retire * Ad Campaign * Calorie Calculations * Misrepresentation * Deception * Liar * More Tags... Industry News News By Place Country(s) Industry News
Follow on Google News | New National Ad Campaign Aimed at Ronald "the Liar" McDonaldFull-page ads in major newspapers around the country are demanding that McDonald's retire Ronald because of his role in the epidemic of pediatric obesity, a role which goes beyond enticing impressionable children and constitutes misrepresentation
When he visits schools across the country as a "health ambassador" or "active lifestyle advocate," Ronald is as deceptive as the "McFrankenstein" "Inviting Ronald McDonald into the classroom to teach kids that they can eat junk food but avoid getting fat by getting enough exercise is like having Joe Camel visit schools to convince kids that they can safely smoke if only the don't inhale," argues Banzhaf, the man behind the ten successful fat law suits which Fortune magazine predicted in a cover story entitled "Fat is the Next Tobacco." http://banzhaf.net/ He also argues that McDonald's construction of McGyms for tykes, and a related advertising campaign featuring Ronald McDonald as an "active lifestyles advocate," are an attempt to direct attention away from the major cause of the obesity which is eating high-calorie foods and sugary soft drinks. That in turn is just a refinement of an earlier program in which Ronald was dubbed a "Chief Happiness Officer," and was being sent into schools as a "Health Ambassador " to teach children that an active lifestyle, rather than cutting down on overeating and fattening foods, is the key to avoid being overweight. "McDonald's Makes Ronald a Health Ambassador": http://www.washingtonpost.com/ But children who exercise every day -- whether at a McGym or elsewhere -- will not begin to burn off the calories they consume with a typical McDonald's meal, says Banzhaf, whose law students successfully sued McDonald's and won over $12 million, noting that their meals intended for pre-teen children contain dangerous amounts of calories and fats. Indeed, as the London Times reported [11/30/03]: "In America, Mighty Kids Meals have 800 calories and more than half the amount of saturated fat that an adult should have in a day." McDonald's Mighty Kids Meals are aimed at children 7-8 years of age. To burn the 800 calories in such a meal, a typical 7-year old girl would have to: * walk for 9.3 hours OR * play volleyball for 8.1 hours OR * play baseball for 6.6 hours OR * swim or play paddleball for 5.4 hours OR * engage in aerobics for 5 hours Since children above 10 years of age are likely to regard a Mighty Kids meal as babyish, let's see what a 10-year old boy, eating a more typical McDonald's adult meal [Big Mac, large fries, McFlurry drink] would have to do to burn off the 1790 calories in such a meal - which also contains 83 grams of fat, far more than even an adult male should safely consume in a single day. To burn off the calories, he would have to: * walk for 15 hours OR * play volleyball for 13 hours OR * play baseball for 10.5 hours OR * swim or play paddleball for 8.8 hours OR * engage in aerobics for 8 hours "While regular exercise obviously can play a role in maintaining a healthy weight for both children and adults, these figures make it abundantly clear that exercising cannot possibly compensate for eating fattening meals of the kind that McDonald's spends billions of dollars to promote. Telling kids that they can remain slim simply by engaging in regular exercise, and not passing up the Golden Arches - much less going there so that kids can exercise while they eat - is deceptive, and teachers and schools should not cooperate," says Banzhaf. It's also clear that, among adults, getting the recommended amount of exercise will - by itself - do little to reduce obesity if a person continues to eat typical fast food meals. Thirty minutes of moderate exercise burns at most a few hundred calories - as anyone who uses modern treadmills or exercise bikes will note from the readout - and will do little to counteract eating a typical McDonald's meal of more than 1000 calories. A dramatic example is the large number of NFL football players who are fat or even obese, even though they get more exercise than most people could possibly fit into their schedules. As USA Today had reported, the underlying and most important reason is fast food: "All three of these [obese] college players have a history of consuming large amounts of sodas, fast food and junk food, . . . It's easier and cheaper to grab three double cheeseburgers from McDonald's than to cook or to buy other more expensive fast-food sandwiches, he says. . . . It's hard to go out and order healthier foods while friends have cheeseburgers and fries, he says." "Players Muscle Out the Fat": http://www.usatoday.com/ The calculations above are all based upon information from independent sources, and those who are curious can make their own calculations for children of different ages and different activities by going directly to these sources: Calories burned per hour from various activities: http://caloriesperhour.com/ Average height and weight for children of different ages: http://www.babybag.com/ Calories in McDonald's and other fast food meals: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ "Those behind the national advertising campaign would be well advised to join in bringing legal actions against McDonald's for engaging in unfair and deceptive advertising and promotional practices, including one already in litigation or others under consideration," JOHN F. BANZHAF III, B.S.E.E., J.D., Sc.D. Professor of Public Interest Law George Washington University Law School, FAMRI Dr. William Cahan Distinguished Professor, Fellow, World Technology Network, Founder, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Creator, Banzhaf Index of Voting Power 2000 H Street, NW, Suite S402 Washington, DC 20052, USA (202) 994-7229 // (703) 527-8418 http://banzhaf.net/ # # # John F. Banzhaf III is a Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University Law School [http://banzhaf.net/] End
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Account Phone Number