Health officials worried about an obesity epidemic want fast-food advertising dropped from public property, including bus shelters, and are questioning fast-food and soft-drink sponsorship of public events.
They have also raised concerns over the lack of political power to stop fast-food restaurants being built near schools and in poor areas.What about McDonald's sponsorship of things like Ronald McDonald House? Says Auckland Health Board Clinical Director Robyn Toomath:
"We've reached that purist approach with tobacco, completely hardline. There's no way in the world we would have a Rothman's Centre for Kids in Hospital. You start off saying we won't promote the sale of goods, then the next step is [not allowing] sponsorship of these companies."McDonald's, Rothman's, no logical difference. No slippery slopes, 'till you're close to the bottom.
For a more reasonable take on McDonald's and the miracles wrought by careful supply chain management, consult Blunt Object [language warning].
