June, 23 2010, 09:42am EDT
Statement: Suit McDonald's Cue to Stop Predatory Marketing Altogether
Statement by Kelle Louaillier, Executive Director, Corporate Accountability International commending Center for Science in the Public Interest’s efforts to stop McDonald’s toy promotions
WASHINGTON
Today our partners at the Center for Science in the Public
Interest have said enough is enough, notifying McDonald's it will be
filing suit against the corporation if it does not halt using toys in
Happy Meals. CSPI's notice letter says that McDonald's toy-related
promotions violate state consumer protection laws in Massachusetts,
Texas, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, and California. CSPI's
letter gives McDonald's 30 days to agree to stop the practice before a
suit is filed.
McDonald's has been in the hot seat of late for its long-standing
and pioneering practice of peddling junk food to children...especially
our very youngest children, for which predatory marketing is no less
than exploitative.
and pioneering practice of peddling junk food to children...especially
our very youngest children, for which predatory marketing is no less
than exploitative.
Corporate Accountability International, its partners, and
supporters have called attention to the role such marketing is playing
in making our children sick by calling for an end to the use of the
world's most recognized corporate mascot, Ronald McDonald. In so doing,
the organization has advocated for an end to the universe of
youth-oriented marketing practices in which Ronald is the center.
supporters have called attention to the role such marketing is playing
in making our children sick by calling for an end to the use of the
world's most recognized corporate mascot, Ronald McDonald. In so doing,
the organization has advocated for an end to the universe of
youth-oriented marketing practices in which Ronald is the center.
The human impact of McDonald's predatory marketing is undeniable.
Each year, the corporation spends hundreds of millions marketing to
kids not just in the absent hope that this will lead kids to crave its
food, but because it is profoundly effective.
Each year, the corporation spends hundreds of millions marketing to
kids not just in the absent hope that this will lead kids to crave its
food, but because it is profoundly effective.
The proof is not only in the sales, but in the disease rates. One
in three children born today will become diabetic during their lifetime
as a result of a McDonald's-style diet. And even for those who don't
need to guard their children against today's toxic advertising
landscape, there is a $147 billion annual health care tab to pick-up
for treating conditions related to diet.
in three children born today will become diabetic during their lifetime
as a result of a McDonald's-style diet. And even for those who don't
need to guard their children against today's toxic advertising
landscape, there is a $147 billion annual health care tab to pick-up
for treating conditions related to diet.
Still McDonald's continues to substitute public relations for real
marketing reform - reform that could vastly improve the health of our
children.
marketing reform - reform that could vastly improve the health of our
children.
For instance, since the launch of Corporate Accountability
International's Value [the] Meal campaign, McDonald's has reduced the
amount it spends on advertising during children's programs. What has
not been reported is how many of those dollars have shifted from
television advertisements to social media, in an effort to reach
children in environments that are more difficult for parents to
constantly monitor and control.
International's Value [the] Meal campaign, McDonald's has reduced the
amount it spends on advertising during children's programs. What has
not been reported is how many of those dollars have shifted from
television advertisements to social media, in an effort to reach
children in environments that are more difficult for parents to
constantly monitor and control.
McDonald's has also responded to a public climate that favors
retiring children's junk food marketing icons, and prominent
initiatives like Retire Ronald, by scaling back Ronald's appearances in
mass media. In McDonald's-speak however, this means the corporation
will instead be using the hamburger-happy clown "in a more targeted
fashion toward children," such as, again, placing Ronald McDonald in
environments that are harder for parents to control like schools,
libraries, and, ironically, pediatric clinics.
retiring children's junk food marketing icons, and prominent
initiatives like Retire Ronald, by scaling back Ronald's appearances in
mass media. In McDonald's-speak however, this means the corporation
will instead be using the hamburger-happy clown "in a more targeted
fashion toward children," such as, again, placing Ronald McDonald in
environments that are harder for parents to control like schools,
libraries, and, ironically, pediatric clinics.
And McDonald's Orwellian manipulations don't stop there. In
response to parental concerns around the use of Happy Meals to attract
children to foods high in fat, salt, sugar, and calories, McDonald's
pledged to only advertise Happy Meals that met its own nutrition
standards.
response to parental concerns around the use of Happy Meals to attract
children to foods high in fat, salt, sugar, and calories, McDonald's
pledged to only advertise Happy Meals that met its own nutrition
standards.
But again, patrons have to read between the lines. Not only are
nutrition standards devised by the world's leading burger salesman
questionable at best, the alternatives being offered are really no
alternative at all (apple dippers with a sugary caramel dipping sauce,
for example). What's worse, the Center for Science in the Public
Interest (CSPI) has found it exceedingly rare for clerks to even offer
such "alternatives" at the register.
nutrition standards devised by the world's leading burger salesman
questionable at best, the alternatives being offered are really no
alternative at all (apple dippers with a sugary caramel dipping sauce,
for example). What's worse, the Center for Science in the Public
Interest (CSPI) has found it exceedingly rare for clerks to even offer
such "alternatives" at the register.
In all, McDonald's pledge was some small concession when the real
vehicle for Happy Meal promotions is not actually the food in the box,
but the seemingly ubiquitous toy promotions for everything from Shrek
characters to Barbie dolls. After all, McDonald's is the standard
bearer for what the American Psychological Association calls "the most
common persuasive strategy employed in advertising...to associate the
product with fun and happiness, rather than to provide any factual
product-related information."
vehicle for Happy Meal promotions is not actually the food in the box,
but the seemingly ubiquitous toy promotions for everything from Shrek
characters to Barbie dolls. After all, McDonald's is the standard
bearer for what the American Psychological Association calls "the most
common persuasive strategy employed in advertising...to associate the
product with fun and happiness, rather than to provide any factual
product-related information."
For this reason, we commend CSPI's action and encourage McDonald's
to do the right thing and drop its use of toys before the suit goes to
trial. This is an opportunity for McDonald's to stop parading its
public relations around as corporate responsibility and to start
responding directly to the very real concerns of parents, health
professionals, and educators across the country.
to do the right thing and drop its use of toys before the suit goes to
trial. This is an opportunity for McDonald's to stop parading its
public relations around as corporate responsibility and to start
responding directly to the very real concerns of parents, health
professionals, and educators across the country.
As the most profitable fast food corporation, McDonald's can set
an example to countless emulators and competitors. And that example
needn't be yet another half-measure. It should be the retirement of all
predatory marketing to children from toy promotions to the use of
Ronald McDonald.
an example to countless emulators and competitors. And that example
needn't be yet another half-measure. It should be the retirement of all
predatory marketing to children from toy promotions to the use of
Ronald McDonald.
Corporate Accountability stops transnational corporations from devastating democracy, trampling human rights, and destroying our planet.
(617) 695-2525LATEST NEWS
Defeating 'MAGA Dark Money,' Summer Lee Wins Primary in Landslide
"This is a huge testament to our collective strength and resilience as a progressive movement," said the executive director of Justice Democrats.
Apr 24, 2024
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, a member of the progressive "Squad," won the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District on Tuesday, fending off an opponent whose campaign was backed by a billionaire Republican megadonor and ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Lee, a vocal critic of the Netanyahu government and leading supporter of a cease-fire in Gaza, handily defeated Bhavini Patel, a borough councilmember in Edgewood, Pennsylvania whose effort to unseat the progressive incumbent was bankrolled by Jeffrey Yass, the state's richest man. Patel actively courted Republican and pro-Israel voters, characterizing Lee as "fringe."
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Opposing genocide is good politics and good policy. #CeasefireNOW https://t.co/A7pnJNskWS
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Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC sent a letter Monday to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Acting Secretary Debbie-Anne Reese seeking final permission to begin operation on the MVP next month, even while acknowledging that much of the Virginia portion of the pipeline route remains unfinished and developers have yet to fully comply with safety requirements.
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"MVP brazenly asks for this authorization while simultaneously notifying FERC that the company has completed less than two-thirds of the project to final restoration and with the mere promise that it will notify the commission when it fully complies with the requirements of a consent decree it entered into with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration last fall," she continued.
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Russell Chisholm, co-director of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR) Coalition—which called MVP's request "reckless and impossible"—said in a statement that "we are watching our worst nightmare unfold in real-time: The reckless MVP is barreling towards completion."
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Appalachian Voices noted that MVP's request comes days before pipeline developer Equitrans Midstream is set to release its 2024 first-quarter earnings information on April 30.
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U.S. workers' rights advocates and groups celebrated on Tuesday after the Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 along party lines to approve a ban on most noncompete clauses, which Democratic FTC Chair Lina Khansaid "keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism."
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