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McDonald's has been accused of launching a "grotesque marketing strategy" endangering public health by encouraging customers to consume more fast food in exchange for prices such as French fries, desserts and soft drinks.
Tom Watson, Secretary of Shadow Culture, Media and Sports, urged the company to abandon its promotion of Monopoly at McDonald's in light of the childhood obesity crisis in the United Kingdom. Kingdom, qualifying competition as a "danger to public health". His claim comes as the government tries to combat childhood obesity with a plan to reduce the number of advertisements for foods high in fat, sugar and salt seen by children. Options considered include the prohibition of such advertisements on television, on-line streaming sites and on social media until the end of the 21-hour watershed.
According to research, children spend 14 hours a week watching television and spend more and more time online. One in three children is overweight or obese and the number of seriously obese children is increasing. The United Kingdom has one of the worst records in Western Europe.
Watson wrote to McDonald's UK Managing Director Paul Pomroy asking him to cancel the next Monopoly promotion. "The UK has an obesity crisis," he writes. "Nearly two-thirds of adults in England are overweight or obese. In England, a quarter of children are overweight or obese by the age of five and even exceed one-third by the end of primary school. Obesity and a diet high in sugar are at the origin of various serious diseases, including type 2 diabetes, which costs the NHS 10% of its budget each year.
"In this context, it is appalling that your company's marketing ploy, Monopoly, encourages people to eat more unhealthy foods by offering rewarded sugar desserts.
"It is unacceptable that this campaign is intended to force families to order junk food more often and in larger pieces, hoping to win a vacation, a car or a prize money that many would otherwise have trouble with. pay."
Watson said that poor children are more affected because studies have shown that 39% of McDonald's restaurants are located in the poorest parts of the UK. "It's clear that McDonald's monopoly is a danger to public health," he writes. "Companies have a moral responsibility to their customers and as a society we have a responsibility to protect the health of our children.
"I ask you to rethink this strategy urgently: McDonald's must stop playing on people's hopes and prioritize the public health benefit. I urge you to cancel this marketing campaign. "
A spokesman for McDonald's said, "Customer choice is at the heart of everything we do, including our popular Monopoly promotion. This year's campaign sees customers receiving price tags on carrot bags, salads and our Big Flavor Wraps range, and we've removed the incentive to "grow", offering the same amount of money. price tags and the odds of winning with an average meal. on a big one.
"Nutritional information is clearly posted online, on our app, in restaurants and on our packaging, and we continue to review, refine and reformulate our menu to reduce saturated fat, salt and sugar."
A recent report found that nearly 20% of deaths worldwide are attributable to an unhealthy diet, along with hypertension and smoking among the top three risk factors.
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