For those who grew up eating Chicken McNuggets and feasting on Happy Meals, this may seem impossible but it’s true: the McDonald’s empire appears to be taking some serious financial hits not only in the United States but overseas as well. Sales are declining sharply and in wake of the economic downturn which the company has taken, the CEO has recently stepped down from his position as the iconic fast-food restaurant chain appears to be losing its reputation as a stable stock investment. Many who watch the food industry believe that this is part of a growing trend of people both in the United States and around the world, rejecting the “frankenfoods” that McDonalds has on offer.
Consumers Reject McDonald’s GMO’s
It appears that the core reason for this decline in sales around the world is the fact that many documentaries have been done on this fast-food restaurant and its extensive use of GMO foods and chemical additives in many of their menu items. This documentation has not only been done by the media but by concerned health organizations. It appears that for most people, the fact that many foods on the menu contain over 19 different ingredients (most of which are highly processed and chemical in nature) as well as ingredients that are known to be genetically modified is sufficient reason for choosing not to eat there again.
The result is that globally, McDonald’s reported that its net sales declined 2.2%, which was a greater increase than was expected by market analysts; the decline within the United States was even greater, topping out at 4.7%.
Controversial Ingredients
While there are many ingredients in McDonald’s foods that have people both within and outside the medical and public health community concerned, some of these ingredients really stand out as being particularly troubling. These include the following:
Propylene glycol, which is also used as a chemical laxative and in e-cigarette filters and which is starting to be phased out in many industries due to its health risksAzodicarbonamide, a chemical which is used in many industries to make foamed plastic productsDimethylpolysiloxane, which not only is used in Chicken McNuggets but also in products like silly putty and breast implants
As more people become aware of what exactly is on the menu, they are apparently becoming more turned off to the prospect of continuing to dine there.
In short, the takeaway here is that, as people become more educated about the health consequences of eating genetically modified, chemically laden foods, even restaurants like McDonald’s, which have always seemed invulnerable, are going to suffer economic consequences of offering products that consumers simply do not want. The declining net sales of this once-dominant company are tangible proof of this.
Sources: economist.com, fortune.com, businessinsider.in
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