McDonald - The Arthur Page Society

food in his book, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. The health
and nutrition issue attack against McDonald’s continued in 2002 when two American
teenagers filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s claming that the corporation was
responsible for their weight problems. But perhaps the most publicized and widely
distributed charge of all came in 2004 when Morgan Spurlock released a motion picture
directly aimed at McDonald’s, Super Size Me, that presented “one man’s journey into the
world of weight gain, health problems, and fast food.” 126 In 2006, a version of the book
Fast Food Nation targeted to 11- to 15-year olds, Chew on This, was released along with
the movie, Fast Food Nation.
McDonald’s response has been ambivalent in some respects and aggressive in
others. The super size option has been cancelled, and the menu has been expanded to
include healthier food choices such as premium salads, low fat/skim milk, bottled water,
and white meat chicken. A high-budget, ubiquitous advertising campaign has paired
active lifestyles with McDonald’s under the theme of “It’s What I Eat and What I
Do...I’m Lovin’ It.” McDonald’s has instituted nutritional educational programs,
given away pedometers, formed brand ambassadorships with celebrities, and introduced
nutritional labeling directly on products. At cursory glance, it might seem that
McDonald’s has done everything possible for effective issues management. However,
the teaching components given below will demonstrate to students both positive and
negative strategies and tactics employed by McDonald’s in handling the issue of nutrition
and health.
4. Teaching Components
4.1 Assignments and Activities
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