From the SuperSizeMe Board
Ludicrously high fat content JoeMaggard Oct 12, 04:07 PM [ Reply ]
Mr Cox explained that McDonald's claim to be concerned about healthy eating was not borne out by the products sold. Even their salads (still only available in some stores) had a 'ludicrously high' fat content (over 50% calories from fat) He told how the company were now promoting their newest menu item - the "Mega Mac" which comprises 4 meat patties and contains huge amounts of fat and saturated fat. He said there was a huge 'credibility gap - the difference between the image portrayed...and the reality of the food sold'. He believed that the few positive steps McDonald's made had been taken 'perhaps rather grudgingly' as a result of public pressure.
Professor Michael Crawford, an expert on dietary fats and their relation to human health, and a consultant to the World Health Organisation gave evidence for the Defendants. He emphasised the association between a high fat diet and increased risk of cancers of the breast, colon and prostate cancer. This is particularly evident from 'population studies' of different countries with varied diets and disease rates, from 'migration' studies (showing that immigrant populations soon adopted the diet and disease rates of the country of settlement), and from the large increase of heart disease and cancer in countries such as Japan where the modern western diet is fast replacing traditional, healthier diets. He stated that "not only are McDonald's encouraging the use of a style of food which is closely associated with risk of cancer and heart disease whilst health professionals are trying to reduce the risks to Western populations, but they are actively promoting the same in cultures where at present these diseases are not a problem".