McDonald - The Arthur Page Society

The teens had eaten at McDonald’s three to five times per week over a period of six years
and charged that:
• "The combined effect of McDonald's various promotional representations during
this period was to create the false impression that its food products were
nutritionally beneficial and part of a healthy lifestyle if consumed daily;
• McDonald's failed adequately to disclose that its use of certain additives and the
manner of its food processing rendered certain of its foods substantially less
healthy than represented; and
• McDonald's deceptively represented that it would provide nutritional information
to its New York customers when in reality such information was not readily
available." 81
The court ruled in McDonald’s favor. The judge for the Second Circuit explained
that it was impossible to blame McDonald’s for obesity without considering individual
health variables such as exercise, family history, and overall dietary habits. Again,
however, the negative publicity and consequences of the lawsuit would prove a public
relations nightmare for McDonald’s. Media coverage of the lawsuit heightened attention
to criticism of McDonald’s approach to nutritional labeling and child-focused advertising
strategies. Morgan Spurlock maintains that this lawsuit was the catalyst for his
documentary, Super Size Me..
3.4 Super Size Me
The film Super Size Me documents the experiences of journalist and director,
Morgan Spurlock, as he makesa 30-day commitment to eating only McDonald’s food.
Spurlock’s objective was to explore the issues of corporate responsibility, nutritional
education, and “how we as a nation are eating ourselves to death.” 82 Making no pretense
of objectivity, Spurlock set out to prove that eating at McDonald’s is a health hazand. A
physician supervised his health and weight changes throughout the experience. He
gained 25 pounds and suffered a variety of health problems. Spurlock uses the
20