McDonald - The Arthur Page Society

surrounding health and nutrition, and McDonald’s could have taken proactive steps early
in the process rather than reacting defensively at a later date.
Questions for Discussion:
• With advance knowledge of the brewing issue, what proactive steps could
McDonald’s have taken?
• Why is it advantageous to take action proactively rather than defensively?
2. Taking timely and decisive action to assuage fears surrounding an issue is the
best strategic plan. A corporation should never announce that it is going to make
changes to assuage an issue and then not follow-through with those changes.
A year prior to the release of Super Size Me, the National Restaurant Association
underscored the need for balance, moderation and physical activity during a meeting held
by the Food and Drug Administration and its Obesity Working Group that was designed
to find solutions to obesity. 129 A key discussion focused on the option of providing
nutritional labeling on restaurant foods similar to that required for non-restaurant
marketed foods.
McDonald’s did not introduce nutritional labeling on their products until 2006,
two years after Super Size Me publicly criticized McDonald’s for not providing easy
access to nutritional information. Similarly, McDonald’s cancelled their super size option
only after the release of the movie, Super Size Me. Even though McDonald’s insisted
that the move was not made in response to the criticism made in Super Size Me, the
timing of their decision speaks otherwise. Lastly, McDonald’s promised to introduce a
healthier option to the trans fat oil used in cooking their products in 2002, but have not
36