McDonald's squeezes French from fries

By CATHERINE FIELD in Paris

Under fire from nutritionists and traditionalists, the French branch of the McDonald's empire has launched one of the most unusual campaigns in advertising history: Don't eat our food too often.

In a series of "advertorials" in the women's press, McDonald's urges readers to "devise the child's meal in relation to his weight and physical activities" and warns them that children need a balanced diet drawn from a basket of food sources.

And, it admits, specialists recommend that people not "exceed one visit to McDonald's per week".

McDonald's says the advertorials aim to defend the nutritional value of the company's products and advise families about healthy eating.

Big Macs, chicken McNuggets, fries and shakes are on the front line of attacks on what is called "la mal bouffe" (bad grub) in France.

McDonald's New Zealand has no plans to run a similar campaign.

Spokesman Liam Jeory said there was something wrong with anyone who based his or her diet solely on fast food or any other kind.

"We have never implied anyone should eat McDonald's every day."

In France, the US food giant is facing an alliance of small farmers, defenders of traditional cuisine and doctors who blame the burger chain for a slump in food discernment and for the expanding French waistline.

The rate of obesity among children and teens has doubled in the past 10 years, from 5.7 to 13.2 per cent.

Data on New Zealand children and teenagers are scarce, but the Ministry of Health has warned that children are becoming less active and diabetes, an illness often linked to obesity, is occurring earlier.

Each year, 70,000 French youngsters join the ranks of the chronically fat.

"Children and teenagers today are the soda and fast-food generation," said Jean-Marie Bourre, a nutritionist at the national medical research institute Inserm.

"They suffer from food illiteracy. We are going to have to teach them to eat properly, in the same way that we have to teach them to read and write."

McDonald's pleads, though, that it has done lots to cater to French tastes.

It makes special hamburgers using French bread and cheese, and offers two kinds of French coffee instead of its usual American brew.

- Additional reporting: Catherine Masters

nzherald.co.nz/health