Accidental Hedonist

30 Day Dieters is a site that has set out to refute Morgan Spurlocks’s movie Supersize
Me. The site is chock full o’ testimonials from people who ate at McDonald’s over a 30 day period and lost weight, which is a contary position from the main thesis (and some would say ‘gimmick’) of Spurlock’s film.

For the record, I believe that people can lose weight in a variety of ways, as it’s more about food discipline than it is about the foods you eat. Portioned properly enough, a person can lose weight subsisting on a diet of fried chicken. But that’s not what I want to point out here.

Notice who is sponsoring the 30 day dieter’s site…Tech Central Station(TCS). Who is Tech Central Station? They’re a division of DCI Group, L.L.C.

Who is DCI, L.L.C.? They are a United States lobbying and public relations firm, whose client list just happens to include fast food giant McDonald’s.

Saaaaayyyy…you don’t think these facts are related, do you? That’s not exactly an uninfluenced opinion there.

(from the always reliable Fast Food News)

Technorati Tags: Food, PR, Public Relations, McDonald’s, Fast Food

Remember last week when I mentioned that McDonald’s recent revelations that their fries had gluten (until recently) may not be a big deal, unless someone can prove that the Golden Arches advertised the fries as gluten-free?

Well as it turns out, yes someone can prove that the Golden Arches stated that the fries are gluten free…and yes they are suing for damages.

All of those who are surprised, please raise your hands.

I did have a “M-wuh?!?” moment when reading this bit of the article:

On Wednesday, Nadia Sugich of Los Angeles sued McDonald’s, saying she is a vegan and would not have eaten the fries if she had known they contained dairy products.

A vegan…at McDonald’s. Riiiiiight. Nadia isn’t perhaps looking for a quick payday, is she?

Personally, I have a hard time feeling sorry for any vegan who eats at McDonald’s. I’m not saying they shouldn’t eat there, but really. A vegan eating at McDonald’s is like an American visiting Moscow and then complaining that everyone there speaks Russian.

UPDATE: It seems as if McDonald’s is claiming that, in fact, their fries ARE gluten and Allergen free.

Cause — meet effect.

Ken at Fast Food News has it exactly right: either someone is trying to cover their collective buttocks by clouding the issue regarding this, or there is a fair amount of incompetence surrounding the initial release of information last week. Either way, McDonald’s is looking both amateurish and irresponsible.

Technorati Tags: Food, McDonald’s, Fast Food, Lawsuit