
Article 709 of alt.mcdonalds:
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From: ndallen@r-node.hub.org (Nigel Allen)
Subject: Doctors Say McDonald's Lies in Kids Promotion
Organization: R-node Public Access Unix - 1 416 249 5366
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1993 03:19:48 GMT
Message-ID: <1993Mar3.031948.17235@r-node.hub.org>
Lines: 64

Here is a press release from the 
 Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
 5100 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 404
 Washington, D.C. 20016
 telephone (202) 686-2210
 fax (202) 686-2216
 For more information, contact David B. Wasser, Media Director

Doctors Say McDonald's Lies in Kids Promotion

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 1 - The Physicians Committee for 
Responsible Medicine, a public-interest group based in Washington 
D.C., has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the 
McDonald's restaurant chain for use of false claims about the benefits 
of foods in the meat group.
 
In a complaint to the FTC's Division of Advertising Practices, the 
Physicians Committee states that McDonald's ignores the abundance 
of medical evidence which proves that meat is harmful to human 
health. Instead, the Committee claims, McDonald's has slickly 
produced a children's promotional campaign which tells kids that 
they can "climb higher and ride their bikes farther" if they eat foods 
from the meat group. Although the meat group also includes beans 
and nuts, most of the foods in the group are high-fat animal 
products.

The Physicians Committee insists that the concept that meat 
improves endurance was abandoned more that 100 years ago. 
Endurance depends on carbohydrates, which are abundant in grains, 
vegetables and beans. The organization of doctors has asked the FTC 
to intervene to stop McDonald's from beginning the campaign in 
March.

The Physicians Committee's complaint to the FTC, which was released 
to the media today, reads in part, "Telling kids they can climb higher 
and ride their bikes farther by eating foods in the meat group is like 
telling them they can get more homework done by watching TV. 
There is absolutely no evidence which supports their position.... 
Scientific evidence inextricably links meat to heart disease, some 
forms of cancer, diabetes and stroke."

Studies has shown that the coronary artery blockages that ultimately 
lead to heart attacks begin in childhood. Studies during the Korean 
War showed that more than three-quarters of American soldiers had 
the beginnings of coronary artery blockages by age 23, mainly 
attributable to the meat-based diet American children consume. Diet 
also contributes to at least 35% of cancer deaths, and again meat is a 
major contributor, particularly to colon cancer.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has also written 
a letter to McDonald's corporate headquarters explaining its 
objections to the promotion. The letter asks that McDonald's offer 
vegetarian burgers and fresh fruit to its customers as a way of 
showing that it genuinely cares about the nutritional value of its 
products. The letter further asks that McDonald's rewrite its 
promotional literature to teach children about the potential dangers 
of eating meat products.

The McDonald's campaign is being co-sponsored by the American 
Dietetic Association (ADA), and is scheduled to appear in McDonald's 
restaurants during National Nutrition Month in March.
 -30 -
-- 
Nigel Allen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada    ndallen@r-node.hub.org


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