The McDonald's "super size" is the latest casualty in the war against obesity.
The fast food chain announced March 2 it would begin to phase out super-sized fries and soft drinks and create a simplified menu with a balance of choices for customers. The super-sized fries will be gone by the end of 2004, but the super-sized drink may reappear as a special promotion.
The American Heart Association applauded this change, but stressed McDonald's still has a generally unhealthy menu.
"Consumers should remember that many fast-food choices remain high in saturated fat and calories even in regular portion sizes," said Dr. Robert H. Eckel, the chair of the AHA Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Council in a March 4 press release. "Diets high in fat and calories, and reduced physical activity are likely explanations for the epidemic of obesity in the United States."
The "epidemic of obesity" is growing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced March 9 that poor diet and physical inactivity is close to replacing tobacco as the leading cause of "actual death" in the country.
McDonald's is targeted as a large contributor to obesity, though some say unfairly. Congress passed the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act the day after the CDC made its announcement. It protects large fast food companies from being sued for causing obesity.
In response to the bill's passage, McDonald's released a statement saying, "The legislature recognizes that this issue isn't about any one restaurant or any particular food, it's all about personal responsibility and individual decisions."
George Washington University professor and activist trial lawyer John F. Banzhaf III was against the bill. A former crusader against big tobacco, Banzhaf now fights fast food.
Banzhaf testified before Congress to oppose the act, saying that if the lawsuits were frivolous, they would normally be thrown out. He also said Congress should pass laws addressing this problem, not just protect the industry from the lawsuits that are trying to effect change.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it, especially until Congress is prepared to adopt comprehensive legislation to help save taxpayers more than $50 billion annually in obesity costs," Banzhaf said in his testimony.
Banzhaf worked on the case involving two New York teenagers who sued McDonald's for making them fat. The teenagers claimed McDonald's did not provide adequate nutritional information and did not explain the dangers of eating the food too much.
The case was dismissed, but the judge said McDonald's used ingredients, such as chicken skin and anti-foaming agents in their Chicken McNuggets, that consumers were unaware of. The case was re-filed, claiming McDonald's did not make people aware of processing and ingredients that may make its food more unhealthy. It was then dismissed again.
These cases may have failed in the court, but they have brought about greater awareness of the health issues surrounding fast food.
Many fast-food companies have been working to create more health-conscious menus.
McDonald's now makes its chicken mcnuggets with white meat and introduced new healthier happy-meal options around the world.
