Recently, a group of some 550 health care professionals and groups from every state in the nation, issued a joint letter to Jim Skinner, the CEO of the McDonald's Corporation. In the letter, they point to the increasing rates of child obesity in the U.S., the significant negative impact of that obesity on their health and lives, and the fact that McDonald's Corporation invests some $2 billion a year in advertising to peddle their junk food to kids. The letter closes with the following request,"We know the contributors to today’s epidemic are manifold and a broad societal response is required. But marketing can no longer be ignored as a significant part of this massive problem.
We ask that you heed our concern and retire your marketing promotions for food high in salt, fat, sugar, and calories to children, whatever form they take – from Ronald McDonald to toy giveaways. Our children and health care system will benefit from your leadership on this issue."It is highly unlikely, of course, that McDonald's will heed this call for reducing the amount of aggressive advertising they aim at children. To do so would certainly cut into their bottom line, which is not something they will do even if they see the serious negative health and social consequences of their product. In the current political climate, furthermore, it is also virtually impossible that the federal government can do what it must if the childhood obesity epidemic is to be brought under control, which is to legislate aggressive controls on junk food. That is, we have to do to junk food what we did to cigarettes, which is not to outlaw it but to engage in counter-advertising campaigns while severely restricting the advertising of the producers. McDonald's, of course, hides behind self-serving appeals to American freedom of choice while blaming parents for not being better at parenting (In other words, for not being able to keep their kids from buying the harmful junk peddled by McDonald's!). They will always resist anything that cuts into the corporation's profit margin—even when they know the consequences of doing so. Sad.
Note: According to MarketWatch.com, McDonald's earnings for the 3rd quarter of 2010 were $1,390,000,000 (that's 1.39 billion) on a total income of $6.30 billion. Profits were up 10% and total income up %4.
