Making existing and potential customers knowledgeable about products/services, consumer awareness creates more informed buying decisions. Consumers cannot purchase products and services if they do not know they exist. That being said, I believe McDonalds does uphold the basic rights of consumers. Currently, McDonalds displays nutrition facts on all of there food items. That was not always the case. Prior to the movie super size me, and the ensuing lawsuits, McDonalds would offer consumers the option to upgrade their already unhealthy meals to a even larger potion known as super size. This ignored consumer rights because the establishment did not warn customers that they would be consuming nearly half of there daily calories just by having fries. Appropriately, McDonalds no longer tries to gear people towards the unhealthy option of super size and displays nutrition information on all of its products. Therefore it is fitting to state that the major rights of consumers have not always been upheld at McDonalds, but they are taking steps in the right directions. At present, they are making phenomenal strides toward a healthier menu. McDonald's started giving customers the option of choosing apple slices and milk as part of the Happy Meal package. They also began packaging 100-calorie versions of Oreos, Wheat Thins and other healthy treats. Also McDonalds is currently working on removing trans fats from their food. More and more McDonalds is taking gradual steps to making the American consumer more responsible for what they put in their own mouths. Soon, it is very likely that people will no longer be able to blame corporations like McDonalds for obesity because there will be healthy options and people will be informed.
Moreover, Some believe that large food corporations, like McDonalds, should claim responsibility for obesity in the United States. The arguments for and against the proposition that the food and restaurant industries should be held liable for the rise of obesity in the United States are as follows. In his opinion dismissing the original lawsuit, the judge said that legal consequences should not attach to the consumption of hamburgers and other fast-food fare unless consumers are unaware of the dangers of eating such food. However, Sweet said plaintiffs argue that McDonald's products have been so altered that "their unhealthy attributes are now outside the ken of the average reasonable consumer." For instance, Sweet called Chicken McNuggets a "McFrankenstein creation of various elements not utilized by the home cook.
Fast food, while a quick alternative to cooking, has always been known to be less healthy than traditional preparations, but the extent of its health benefits or detriments was not known until a lawsuit came out which inspired documentarian Morgan Spurlock to engage in a 30 day experiment. The resultant documentary specifically targeted McDonald’s, the largest fast food chain in the world, which also happens to be a major recipient of lawsuits linking obesity and their food. Spurlock endeavored to spend a thirty day period eating nothing but food that came from the golden arches, with the rules that he would supersize only when asked, and every time he was asked, and that he would have everything from the menu at least once. In the 2004 film Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock explores the concept that McDonald’s contributes to the nation’s obesity problem through the utilization of statistics and scientific evidence as a logical appeal, comedy and repulsive qualities as an emotional appeal, and s...
He begins his argument by commenting about kids suing McDonald’s for “making them fat” (Zinczenko 462). Zinczenko ponders the absurdity of this claim considering how food choices are based on personal responsibility. However, he then considers the overwhelming availability ratio of fast food to fresh food while sympathizing he was once obese himself (Zinczenko 462). Zinczenko uses the primary argument that fast food companies are deceiving consumers with misleading advertisement, hidden nutrition facts, and calorie risks. He believes companies are encouraging the public to eat their unhealthy foods by omitting alarming information and levying “good” deals. In consequence, fast food companies are increasing the chances of obesity and diabetes in consumers by stimulating poor eating
The obesity problem in this country has gotten worse, a lot worse, and the surge in obesity can be tied directly to fast food. I was appalled by the fact that since 1980 the number of people either fat of obese has doubled, and in that time frame there are twice as many overweight children and three times as many overweight adolescents. Looking strictly at the numbers, it is very easy to find a direct correlation between the number of overweight or obese individuals and the number of fast food establishments. However these fast food outlets are not created in a vacuum, they are servicing a demand. Each day one in four Americans visits a fast food restaurant. Our culture has evolved to one of immediate gratification, we want it convenient, and we want it now. The fast food industry has simply seized that cultural demand and has taken advantage of it all the way to the bank. I think we have a cultural weakness that looks for someone to blame for our problems and McDonalds certainly makes a nice target.
Everybody eats McDonald 's...right. Do not lie; you have cheated on your diet before. The guilt of knowing that one burger will change your weight. No that is not it, you just feel guilty because you constantly hear "calorie balance, calorie intake". So what is the point of all this? Well in zinczenko 's article "Don 't Blame the Eater" he talks about whether we should take the blame for obesity or blame the company. They each play their parts, though I concede that zinczenko is right: the fast food industry should label their food. I still insist that people should make their own researches to see what they are eating instead of suing the fast food industry. It is not personal...it 's just business.
.... Fast food industry should promote their healthy choices in their unhealthy, fatty food products by giving consumers the choice to add a variety of veggies and vitamins. They should add nutrition information regarding the products this way they can protect themselves and their customers.
McDonald’s is killing Americans, at least that is what Morgan Spurlock believes. In his documentary Super Size Me he embarks on a quest to not only describe and use himself as an example of the growing obesity trend, but to offer the viewers with base-line nutritional knowledge that will allow them to draw their own informed conclusions. Spurlock's primary intention is to prove through self-experimentation that eating solely McDonald's food is dangerous. His secondary intention is to denounce the rising obesity rate in American by using statistics, his own research, and the opinions of experts. His broader message is for a general audience while he tailors select chapters towards more specific demographics such as parents or McDonald's themselves.
Matt Theurer was an 18 year old high school senior and a member of the National Guard. He is employed by McDonald's, the defendant. Matt's manager knew Matt had to drive about 20 minutes to and from work. Matt was scheduled to work a shift at McDonald's from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm on April 4th, 1988 and 5:00 am to 8:21 am on April 5th, 1988. He was also given a voluntary opportunity for a cleanup shift from 12:00 am to 5:00 am on April 5th, 1988 which he accepted. Matt worked all of his assigned hours, including the voluntary shift. After the last shift was complete,
First, my personal reaction to this is documentary is an eye opener. I knew McDonalds was more harmful to than other fast food places, but I never knew about the lawsuit between McDonalds and it consumers. I never saw McDonalds as having big impact on my life; this is probably because the McDonald’s in my hometown never had a super-size option. In the video, Spurlock conducted interviews to gain ...
Knowledge is power, the more the consumer knows about the food they are eating the healthier choices they’ll make. For instance, in McDonald’s Grilled Honey Mustard Snack Wrap and a small French fry, from McDonald’s is around $6.00 and contains 420 calories 24g of fat (6.0g saturated).If you were to compare that to a Big Mac meals that comes with medium size fries and coke soda would be about 980 calories the Snack Wrap would be a healthier alternative and it would be about the same price $6.00. When fast food chains put labels on their food like McDonald’s consumers can’t
David Zinczenko states numbers and facts that open the eyes of his reader along with state his position of how fast food states no warnings that it could make someone obese or develop type 2 diabetes. His first statement is telling his readers a little background about how fast food affected his life and how he was once obese because he consumed such meals. Zinczenko explains how the increase in diabetes (specially type 2) were linked to the high consumption of fast food meals. He then goes on to address how much money is being spent to help take care of the mass amount of children with type 2 diabetes, showing how the price has gone up substantially over the past couple decades. The author then claims how the restaurants don’t give any healthy alternative and how its easier to find a McDonalds in American than an healthy alternative such as fruit. To wrap up the article he shares how he feels that obese kids who sue these fast food restaurants have good ground to do so since these places don’t put warnings on their foods; From Zinczenko himself “I say, let the deep fried chips fa...
In this article “Fast Food and Personal Responsibility” (2003) which was written by Ninos P. Malek, Malek tries to argue and show people that it’s not entirely the fast food industries’ fault that people are obese or sick . He argues using 3 different supporting examples; first he says that, “High school students blaming their poor diets on school cafeteria” (Malek, 2003, p.309). Most student tend do that, but actually most cafeterias sell healthy and unhealthy food but people always need something to blame and never hold themselves the responsibility for their own action, secondly he says that no one is putting people under gun point to make them buy fast food (2003, p.309). That’s actually true but still he forgot to mention the fact that they are trying to brain wash people into buying their food through their erroneous advertisements. Third and last Malek tries to compare smoking to fast food, because back then tobacco companies were sued too for almost the same reason which is about health. Malek’s argument was precise because people need to learn to take responsibility for their own actions and should know that when they buy fast food they are weighing their own costs and benefits. But he didn’t show the immoral and unethical things the fast food industries were doing by using erroneous advertisements. The fast food industries shouldn’t be held accountable for this because everyone has a freedom of choice and they can choose whether to eat it or no.
We all have a responsibility to live ethical in regards to respect of others thoughts and feelings. Although not been ethical is not always against the law there are also other negative outcomes that a company may endure for such practices. One outcome is a negative or bad image. Since McDonald’s targets a lot toward children having a negative image could deter parents from wanting their kids to eat there and thus affecting McDonald’s bottom line. Not only parents would be affected by a negative image but also other countries that the company may want to expand to. For example, some countries do not allow McDonald’s to operate there because of some of the unethical decisions that have made.
As I said before, in the U.S. some people are filing suits against fast food companies for causing their obesity and related sickness. It is clear that fast food is not so good for our health. Fast food contains lots of sodium, fat and cholesterol, and these ingredients make us overweight. Therefore, some people think that the ...
McDonald's is the world's leading food service retailer with more than 30,000 restaurants in 118 countries serving 46 million customers each day. It is one of the most well-known and valuable brands and holds a leading share in the globally branded quick service restaurant segment of the informal eating-out market in virtually every country in which it does business. Problems Faced By McDonalds And The Public Opinion Of McDonalds For many years, McDonalds enjoyed worldwide success built on a few well-known, highly standard conditions. The company with the Golden Arches served a simple menu- hamburgers, French fries, and milkshakes or soft drinks. The food was priced low, its quality was consistent, and it was served speedily from establishments that all looked alike and were extremely clean. However in recent years, McDonalds has seen its growth rate slow down and its dominant market position slip. There are various reasons for this. The main reason is the several allegations made against them by environmentalist and health experts. These allegations are: Destruction Of Rain Forests McDonalds sells beef. Many beef suppliers get their beef from Central and South American countries. These cattle farms are usually placed on rainforest land that had been cut and cleared. The poor soil of the rainforest can only sustain life (grain for the cattle to fed upon) for up to a decade (although the mean is 2 years). The beef suppliers must move their farms every few years and consequently destroy more rainforest. Rarely does the forest re-grow, even if replanted. 70% of the moisture that makes a rainforest a "rain" forest originates from the transpiration of the leaves on the vegetation. Once that vegetation is removed for a few years and...
When researching McDonald’s through online sources, it is clear that nutrition is a major concern of the public visiting the fast-food chain. Secondary research conducted shows that there are several case studies and other secondary source searches around the same topic. McDonald’s has often been the center of nutritional attention within the fast-food industry. Secondary research shows that the restaurant has recently made changes to the American Happy Meal to reduce the amount of French fries offered and replace the portion with fruit (Strom, 2011). In a study conducted by McDonald’s a secondary source reports the meal cuts calories by 20% for the children’s meal (Strom, 2011). This is a critical move by the organization on children’s obesity is currently a hot topic within food chains and attention is driven by the Obama administration. Secondary research also shows that although the public has major health concerns with the food chain, profits are increasing during a high point of an economic recession (Dahan & Gittens, 2008). Acco...