McDonald’s Defends Unhealthy Food with New Ad Campaign

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In 2014, several organizations declared war on obesity. This led to a brutally honest global discussion of the fast food industry’s effect on public health putting McDonald’s, the world’s largest fast food chain, in the hot seat. In September 2014, McDonald’s reported their worst profit decline since 2008 according to The Wall Street Journal. “The 30% decline in net income for the period ended Sept. 30 was the latest in a string of disappointing results,” said Jargon, a reporter for the journal. The Chicago Tribune also reported that same-store sales for the month November 2014 were the worst in the US in 13 years.

The pressure was on in 2014 as consumer awareness grew…

Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign sited a decrease in home cooked meals and increase in consumption of fast food as a partial cause of today’s childhood obesity epidemic. While the movement did not directly attack the fast food industry, it launched national ad campaigns encouraging parents and children to eat fresher, home cooked meals.

New legislation required the FDA to enforce nutritional labeling of most fast food items and health advocates shifted their focus to government regulation where food advertising to children is concerned.

Several major studies brought awareness to the social and economic challenges urban minority groups face when it comes to eating healthy. Hope Gillete of the Huffington Post reported, “There is a great push in the country to eat healthy and exercise, but to find healthy, organic food might be more of a challenge depending on where you live. Those hardest hit, according to research published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, are minorities living in urban areas.”

In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) also urged governments to do their part in slowing and reversing the current obesity epidemic with stricter regulation in the fast food industry. Studies of fast food trends in 25 ‘developed’ countries proved the importance of public policy where obesity (related to fast food consumption) is concerned.

In the report Volgi said, “Unless governments take steps to regulate their economies, the invisible hand of the market will continue to promote obesity worldwide with disastrous consequences for future public health and economic productivity.”

McDonalds’ New Ad Defends Unhealthy Food…

Despite a rough end to 2014, McDonald’s is fighting back and responding to healthier food trends with their new “lovin’” campaign, but this is probably not the response health advocates were looking for. In their new Big Mac commercial, the fast food chain tells “all vegetarians, foodies, and gastronauts” to look away as the camera zooms in on the sandwich.

The voice over continues on to poke fun at healthier food options saying, “You can’t get juiciness like this from soy or quinoa,” and “In its lifetime it won’t be deconstructed or infused,” then ends with the words “It is massive, its ego is not.”  The burger is, in fact, massive. It contains a whopping 530 calories, 27 grams of fat, 27 milligrams of cholesterol, and 930 grams of sodium.

The Chicago Tribune reported the following changes for McDonald’s in 2015, “Under President Mike Andres, who returned to the company in late 2014, McDonald’s USA is making other changes, such as trimming some weak-selling items from the menu, updating restaurants and packaging, and expanding the Create Your Taste system that offers more personalized burgers and chicken sandwiches.”

Unfortunately, none of these changes include offering more nutritious options to consumers. Looks like we can expect more of the same from McDonald’s and while the government decides whether or not to crack down on fast food chains, consumers will have to decide if health will be their number one priority in 2015. Continuing to increase knowledge and awareness is of the utmost importance moving forward.

Click here to view the ad.

Sources:
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/2/2/who-tighter-economicregulationneededtoreverseobe sityepidemic.html
http://www.letsmove.gov/learn-facts/epidemic-childhood-obesity
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/01/03/top-ten-biggest-threats-to-food-freedom-in-2014/
http://www.wsj.com/articles/mcdonalds-profit-falls-30-on-u-s-china-woes-1413893397
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/27/urban-minorities-heatlh_n_4674083.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/ct-mcdonalds-brand-0103-biz-20150102-story.html
http://www.nutrition.mcdonalds.com/getnutrition/nutritionfacts.pdf

Bri Jackson
Bri Jackson is a New York based certified trainer, yoga instructor, and wellness blogger. She is passionate about bringing simple clean eating, fitness, and inspiration to others. Connect with Bri on Instagram @Brittgotfit_ and her personal blog www.brittgotfit.com.