Tag: fast food
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McDonald’s Shareholder Proposal Seeks Report on Policy Response to Obesity Concerns
The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, who hold about $2,000 of common stock in McDonald’s Corp., joined by nuns from orders in other states, have reportedly submitted a shareholder proposal seeking a report “within six months of the 2011 annual meeting, assessing the company’s policy responses to public concerns regarding linkages of fast food…
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“Happy Meals” Lawsuit Hype Could Lead to Food Industry Reforms
Highlighting the California lawsuit that seeks to stop McDonald’s from marketing “Happy Meals” to children, a March 2011 Inside Counsel article cautions corporate counsel to pay attention to such litigation, because, frivolous or not, the case marks a growing national focus on health and governmental initiatives to impose reforms on the food industry. Additional information…
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Teenagers Reportedly Disregard Calorie Counts
A recent study claims that teenagers notice but ultimately disregard calorie counts on fast-food menu boards, ordering the same number of calories as they did before New York City’s mandatory labeling laws took effect. B. Ebel, et al., “Child and adolescent fast-food choice and the influence of calorie labeling: a natural experiment,” International Journal of…
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Jennifer Medina, “In South Los Angeles, New Fast-Food Spots Get a ‘No, Thanks,’” The New York Times, January 15, 2011
This article focuses on the Los Angeles City Council’s unanimous decision last month to permanently extend a moratorium on new stand alone fast-food restaurants in South Los Angeles, where the city Department of Health estimates that 30 percent of the residents are obese. Although the ban allows exceptions for “mom-and-pop” businesses and shopping center eateries,…
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Bryant Stamford, “Government Should Step In to Help Kids,” Courier-Journal. com, January 13, 2011
“I don’t want any more government interference than the next guy, but I believe that the precedent has already been set for successful government intervention on behalf of improving our health,” writes Hanover College Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology Professor Bryant Stamford in the first of a two-part article comparing obesity prevention tactics to federal curbs…
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“Happy Meals” Lawsuit Filed in California
Seeking to represent a class of California children younger than age 8 and their parents, the mother of a 6-year-old girl has reportedly filed a putative class action against McDonald’s Corp., alleging that it baits children by advertising its “unhealthy Happy Meals” with toys and thus “has helped create, and continues to exacerbate, a super-sized…
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Court Approves Discovery and Motions Schedule in Pelman v. McDonald’s
A federal court in New York has entered an order approving the pre-trial discovery and motions scheduling order agreed to by the individual plaintiffs remaining in the litigation alleging that fast-food marketing caused adverse health effects related to obesity. Pelman v. McDonald’s Corp., No. 02-7821 (S.D.N.Y., order filed December 15, 2010). Under the terms of…
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Guardian Report Criticizes Industry Involvement in UK Health Policy
The Guardian has published an exclusive exposé claiming that fast-food companies and other industry interests helped write U.K. health policy at the behest of the secretary of state for health. According to the November 12, 2010, article, “In an overhaul of public health, said by campaign groups to be the equivalent of handing smoking policy…