Anyone watch McLibel?

[shiney]

Wow I was glued to the screen with this programme! Anyone watch it last night on BBC2?

What a victory for two people representing themselves in the high court against the big corporate giants of the fast food industry and the government at the European Court of Human Rights.

[Andy Hamilton]

Did not watch the program but I have heard about the case, I remember at the time it was fantastic news. I wonder if any of the electricity companies will be taken to court due to the recent reports of the link with powerlines and cancer?

[Muddypause]

I saw most of it. What a joy!

For those that don't know the story, start here: http://www.mcspotlight.org/case/trial/story.html

There's a drive through McDs a few hundred yards from where I live. A recent story in the local paper told how a woman went in on her pushbike, and they refused to serve her because she wasn't in a car, apparently claiming that there was a safety issue cycling with a bag of burgers. So she went into the shop part and bought a takeaway there, and cycled home.

[Wombat]

G'Day Guys,

I just read the article over lunch (leftovers!).................wow! I think the supersize thing was a bit over blown but these guys have really done a lot of work, good on 'em.

Where did I put those molatov cocktails............?

Nev

[shiney]

Oooh Nev,

You rebel!

BTW, leftovers is one of my favourite dishes.

[Lyds]

If you want a really scarey read about McD try 'Fast Food Nation' by Eric Schlosser - makes you want to go.....

[shiney]

Bedtime horror read then Lyds? It's frightening enough just watching what people put in their food trollies at the supermarket.

I have my son's birthday party on Saturday. I have had to think so hard about the party food, as most of the kids won't eat half the stuff I'd serve up! (if it were a McD party, I'd be ok, God forbid!) Luckily, my brood eat almost everything I put on the table, except curry, which is understandable. I think they are the only children I know that eat the cabbage etc first!

[Lyds]

Feeding other peoples kids is always tricky. They dont eat much except chips, dont drink water and seem never to have eaten sitting at a table with knife and fork. A jug of water on the table once produced the question "cant you afford coke?"

[shiney]

Crumbs!

We don't have coke in the house full stop. It's vile. It makes the kids jumpy and out of control. My kids can have one chocolate biscuit bar a day and one packet of crisps. But they don't seem to eat that many crisps really. We do have bits and peices of 'crud' food about, but it's kept to a minimum.

We have lemonade (fizzy sort) on birthdays and Christmas. It's seen as a treat.

I sound like the mother from hell don't I?

[wulf]

No - it sounds great. Allowing your kids to indulge themselves into avoidable health problems and bad eating habits would be MfH stuff.

Wulf

[Pumpkin Souper]

I know that no-one's posted on this for a while, but I've only just read it...

Surely someone here's seen 'Supersize me'???

I thought it was brilliant. Not just for highlighting how utterly awful in so many ways McD's is, but by being such a popular film it managed to reach many people - maybe not as many as it needs to!

Of course, I enjoyed it, because it told me exactly what I thought (I must confess to feeling a bit smug at times during the film as it confirmed so much of what I've always suspected about the ubiquitous firm), but it also surprised me . I was amazed at just how damaging this diet was for the film maker Morgan Spurlock.

Apologies if this has been discussed in another thread...

Clare.

[wulf]

I wonder if it's had any discernable effect on McDonalds' sales? My inner cynic suggests that, for as many people as it dissuades from eating at the golden arches, there's probably at least as many again who find the film acts as advertising to draw them in!

What I'd love to see (my inner optimist getting the upper hand for a moment ) is McDonalds getting a social conscience and transforming it's global chain to be a model of healthy and environmentally aware food provision. You never know.... it could happen!

Wulf

[ina]

They do try to don the green mantle... From what I hear (and see in the McD window the rare times I pass by), they are now selling salads, fruit (ready sliced in a bag, of course - and probably treated with goodness knows what chemicals to keep it "fresh"), and they sell organic milk. I also seem to remember McDs Germany having a contract with a large organic beef producer. Still doesn't change my opinion about them.

It's not just the food they serve, it's the entire set-up, policy, mission (whatever you like to call it) behind it. The way they try to turn children into regular customers before they can think for themselves (parties, toys etc). The way they try to monopolise world food. And create all that rubbish that floats about the city's streets.

Ina

[Wombat]

Good point Ina!

When I was a consultant I did some work for Pepsi, and was in the back seat of a car being driven to a site, with two Pepsi emplyees in the from seats. They were talking about how Coke had the young adult market and how pepsi had to start hitting the schools to catch up. It was like listening to a discussion between drug dealers - gave me the cold shivers!

Nev

[Lyds]

Have you ever tried a McD salad? I chose it as the least awful thing on the menu and it was horrid. Dry, tasteless and all stumps. I read somewhere that McDs salad dressings have more fat than the burgers.

I would like to think that they became planet conscious and ethical but unless it was profitable can you see it happening? All the profit is in feeding kids cheap high fat food FAST. After all we are in a 'I want it now' culture, who wants to wait?

McDs seems to stand for all the worst things in our culture - Speed, instant gratification, junk, the aquisition of 'things', noise and what I call the 'happy happy happy mentality'.

I feel better after that little rant