Originally published April 23 2004
McDonalds to phase out supersize menu items to distance itself from
class action lawsuits linking fast food with obesity
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
McDonalds has announced it will phase out its supersized menu items this
year, amid rising awareness that its fast food products are being
increasingly blamed for promoting obesity. That's the news you'll read
everywhere else, but here's the real story: McDonalds can see it coming:
a flood of lawsuits blaming the food giant for widespread obesity.
Nearly 1/3 of the U.S. population is clinically obese, and you can bet
most of those people eat at McDonalds with some frequency. Honestly,
McDonalds does share some of the blame here, for it has promoted and
sold truly mammoth portions of disease-causing foods and beverages
without bothering to inform the public that consuming these products
would lead to obesity (among other health concerns). Finally, after
decades of consuming Big Macs and (yuck!) Chicken McNuggets, people are
figuring it out: the food causes the disease. To combat this
expected lawsuit threat, McDonalds is shaping up their menu. This
elimination of Supersize menu items is just the beginning. You can
expect McDonalds to further evolve their menu to try to move away from
the "junk food" image it has earned over the years. Does this mean
McDonalds is going to offer all-natural, organic, healthful menu items
to the public? What, are you dreaming or something? Get real. They're
just going to distance themselves from the risk of a major class action
lawsuit, that's all. This menu change is a corporate strategy for
reducing financial risk, nothing more. McDonalds isn't about to put
"making people healthy" at the top of their list of priorities. But
maybe that will change their giant signs from "Over 1 billion served" to
read, "Over 1 billion made clinically obese."
- The hamburger giant has started phasing out its trademark Supersize
fries and drinks in its U.S. restaurants as part of an effort to
simplify its menu and give customers choices that support a balanced
lifestyle, a company spokesman said Tuesday.
- The move comes as the world's largest restaurant company, and
fast-food chains in general, are under growing public pressure to give
consumers healthier food options in a nation that has suddenly become
aware of its bulging waistline and the health dangers that come with it.
- The documentary, which chronicles the deterioration of filmmaker
Morgan Spurlock's health during a monthlong experiment eating nothing
but McDonald's food, won a directing prize at the Sundance Film Festival
and is set for wide release this spring.
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