Was McDonald’s transition away from huge portions of fat-filled foods and toxic sugary drinks short-lived? It appears so, for just fifteen months after the food chain stopped offering “super-sized” portions of fries and drinks, its Chicago-area restaurants are selling extra-large sodas again.
According to a spokeswoman, however, the Chicago Co-Op is running a local promotion (scheduled to last through the month of July) in which customers who purchase a Big Mac and fries get a free, 42-ounce beverage. This is not super-sizing, she added.
But a promise is a promise.
Promotion or not, eliminating 42-ounce drinks was a crucial component of McDonald’s highly advertised March 2004 rollback of super-sizing. (The company represented the move as an effort to simplify its menu, though it’s likely critics’ claims that McDonald’s contributed to the nation’s obesity epidemic played a role in the decision.)
Despite McDonald’s previous steps to establish a healthier image by introducing:
… critics are outraged by the company’s return to super-sizing, claiming they’re back to their old tricks again. And here’s a health-buster: The 42-ounce non-diet Coca-Cola weighs in at 410 calories, a shade more than 20 percent of the daily average adult caloric intake for men and almost a third of a woman's typical intake. Yikes!
Red Streak June 20, 2005
Soft drinks have just recently dethroned white bread as the leading source of calories in the average American’s diet. This decision by McDonald’s will only worsen this trend.
Seems like we need to put some more social pressure on McDonald’s. Movies like Super Size Me really helped in the effort, and McDonald’s initially responded with some positive menu changes. But, they’ve since brought back one of their highest profit items that is also one of the most health damaging.
McDonald’s and most corporations are not fools. They are nearly entirely motivated by financial pressures. If we can convince enough people to avoid drinking soda, as it is one of the most pernicious food choices you can make, then McDonald’s and other corporations will respond.
In other words, if enough people have a negative perception of this behavior then the industry will change to reflect this. You can speed up this process by referring this newsletter to your friends and family.
You can select a Mercola.com article that addresses their particular health struggle or concern and then write a personal message in the e-mail as to why they should seriously consider the advice--and why they should subscribe to the free e-newsletter. It is very easy to do with our E-mail to a Friend button at the top of EVERY page on the Web site.
Please do NOT sign up any of your friends and relatives to this newsletter ... let them sign up on their own through your recommendation. If you sign them up without their approval it is a form of spam and that would not be fair to them. They need to make the decision themselves to understand and learn more about the truth regarding the health care system and the incredible alternatives that they are likely unaware of. Thanks for your help in recommending the newsletter and helping to shift the paradigm!
There is no time like the present to get out of fast food restaurants and back into your kitchens. If you are interested in seeing a first-hand account of what super-sized portions of fast food can do to your health, I strongly recommend watching the instant classic Super Size Me, if you haven’t already.
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