Pro- and Anti-McDonald's Websites Tell the Same Story

By John Nolan


McSpotlight (http://www.mcspotlight.org) is the official website of the McInformation Network, an anti-McDonald’s organization. Based in the United Kingdom, with members spread out over 16 countries, the goal of the Network is to alert the public to the allegedly questionable business activities of the McDonald’s Corporation. McSpotlight began as a website devoted to covering what came to be known in the UK as the “McLibel Trial,” a lawsuit filed by the McDonald’s Corporation against two activists who distributed anti-McDonald’s literature outside several McDonald’s restaurants in England. Since the trial’s end in 1997, the website has expanded to cover a wide range of McDonald’s-related issues, including nutrition, advertising, and the environment.

The McInformation Network’s complaints about McDonald’s, in terms of nutrition, are that the products served by the fast food chain are high in fat and low in fiber – the kinds of foods that have been linked to heart disease and cancer. Additionally, the Network challenges the corporation’s claims that their food is actually nutritious and can be a part of a healthy, active lifestyle.

When asked to comment on their position, an unnamed representative of the Network declined to be interviewed, stating that everything the Network has to say on the subject of McDonald’s can be found on McSpotlight. Granted, the website does contain a great deal of information regarding the alleged nutritional hazards of McDonald’s food. Links to articles about preservatives, diseases, and tainted beef are provided, as well as transcripts of defense witness testimony from the McLibel Trial. The impact of all of this information is powerful, and makes a strong case for never eating another Big Mac or Filet O’Fish.

Asked to respond to the statements made by the McInformation Network, Danielle, a member of McDonald’s “Customer Satisfaction” department, referred the request for comments to the McDonald’s website (http://www.mcdonalds.com). Within the “Contact Us” section of the site, McDonald’s provides a great deal of nutritional information about their products. Ingredient lists, calorie and nutrient breakdowns, and dietary tips are made available here, as well as in every McDonald’s store. By providing this information, McDonald’s does appear to be attempting to establish itself as a “health-conscious” eating establishment. However, the facts themselves tell another story.

According to the nutritional breakdown for a Big Mac, it contains 560 calories (48% of which come from fat) and 1,010 mg of sodium. A Crispy Chicken sandwich contains 500 calories (41% from fat) and 1,090 mg of sodium. In other words, each sandwich contains nearly half of the recommended daily allowance of fat and sodium. In spite of McDonald’s claims to the contrary, these are not healthy choices.

Given McDonald’s attempts to portray itself as health conscious, the facts about these items are quite disturbing. The McInformation Network has a legitimate reason to warn the public about the food served by McDonald’s. However, McDonald’s seems to be doing the same thing, albeit inadvertently. Whether pro- or anti-McDonald’s, both websites (in the words of the McInformation Network) “provide the info for you to judge for yourself.”