McDonald's chief: Menu calorie rules are 'flawed'

We are regulating ourselves into a third world country. We need much, much less government than more government.
The government tries to regulate and control the people yet what is that they do well? I suggest NOTHING!

Hmm... yes this menu stuff is going overboard... I think as long as the information is available on a handout at the restaurant, and maybe posted on the wall, it should be fine. The menus are hard enough to read as they are...

I rarely eat at McDonald's or at any fast food establishment ... except, maybe, at Portillo's. Nutritional info is readily available on McDonald's Web site and as Skinner stated, at the restaurants. One criticism of McDonald's is that customers only get the nutritional info after purchasing a product. This is ridiculous. I'm sure that McDonald's will provide any customer with nutritional info if requested ... prior to purchase. Now, how many sit-down restaurants provide nutritional info as readily as McDonald's? I would say very few. How many calories in Foie Gras? Where is the nutritional info for Portillo's products. Unless government requires ALL restaurants to publish nutritional info, it is unfair to target fast food chains and especially unfair to those that already do provide the data.

Customers don't need the calorie information, government does. So they can tax the fat content along with the calories consumed.

Chicago is nanny-taxing plastic water bottles. A nanny-tax on too much fat or calories per item is probably next. And what a revenue stream it would provide!

You noticed that the foie-gras ban was lifted by Chicago, because there was no money in it for the City. The Plastic water bottle tax remains. It's the money, stupid.

As soon as the local alderman realize that they can tax fat that all these restaurants are calculating themselves anyway, "hello the fat tax".

This information should be easily accessible to any customer via an in-store poster or a brochure. But not on the menu. The idea that all of this information can be shoehorned into a menu that's supposed to also give you prices and other info about the food is ridiculous.

Next up they'll have to tell you the names of the cows that your burgers come from.

At most McDonald's, a double cheeseburger is cheaper than a single. So why would anyone pay attention to anything their CEO has to say?

Once again, another attempt to allow parents to avoid responsibility. I am living in D.C. for the next year, and the Wash Post is doing an interesting series on childhood obesity. it is amazing to see photos of these kids and their parents-- often it's like mother like son as in I see very obese parents who themselves don't lead healthy lifestyles passing on these habits to kids. And yes, yes, yes, I know. . . not all obese people are obese by choice. For some there are glandular/genetic factors at play. But I see enough fat parents and their fat kids at the fast food places to know that personal choice is the overwhelming factor.

As the CEO of one of the major contributors to obesity and poor nutrition, what would you expect this guy to say? Clever but transparent manipulation of the idea that your personal freedoms are being infringed. Do you think he's eating this stuff? Come back to the basic problem with fast food - consuming it frequently leads to health problems which lead to higher health care costs. Those who regularly eat this stuff aren't reading these boards or nutritional information on line or anywhere else. He is appealing to the bottom line, nothing else.

Nibs wrote:

As the CEO of one of the major contributors to obesity and poor nutrition, what would you expect this guy to say? Clever but transparent manipulation of the idea that your personal freedoms are being infringed. Do you think he's eating this stuff? Come back to the basic problem with fast food - consuming it frequently leads to health problems which lead to higher health care costs. Those who regularly eat this stuff aren't reading these boards or nutritional information on line or anywhere else. He is appealing to the bottom line, nothing else.

Nobody is forced to eat at McDonalds - people do so by choice. No one who eats at McDonalds thinks they're eating healthy - they are choosing to eat unhealthily (or they can choose to eat a salad). McDonalds isn't trying to hide anything from anyone. If people want the nutrition info, it's available from a variety of sources. Smacking people in the face with nutrition info is not going to change McDonald's bottom line - just as many people will eat it as before.

McDonalds?...ish!!! It's Big Kahuna burger for me. They make a tasty burger and goes along great when you wash it down with some ice cold Sprite. MMMMmmmm...this is a tasty burger.

Doug wrote:

At most McDonald's, a double cheeseburger is cheaper than a single. So why would anyone pay attention to anything their CEO has to say?

You obviously know nothing about pricing or economics, why would anyone listen to what you have to say.

let the industry regulate itself, that works so well in every other instance.. NOT!

ahhhhh, anybody who eats McPoison deserves whatever they get.

- McFood, McPolitics, McAmerica, McIdiots -

I'll keep this short and sweet. I want to know what I'm eating, and when I go to a resturant of any kind, it would be great to know the nutritional 'value" of what I'm eating. The menu is the BEST place for this information!!!!!

Yes, it's ultimately parents' responsbility. But would we rather the rules make it easier for parents, or harder for parents? This argument is kind of like saying hey, let's allow gun manufacturers to advertise on kids shows because it's ultimately parents' responsibility to make sure their children use the guns properly.

I really don't understand all this manufactured anger about regulating unhealthy products. Fast food ends up costing taxpayers trillions as people who cannot control their impulses get older and fatter and sicker. Fat tax? Great idea.

Jules Winnfield wrote:

McDonalds?...ish!!! It's Big Kahuna burger for me. They make a tasty burger and goes along great when you wash it down with some ice cold Sprite. MMMMmmmm...this is a tasty burger.

I'd prefer a $5 dollar shake.

Race to the cultural middle, Ggggarth. It's the end result when money sets the rules, not people.

I used to caddie for CEO Skinner years ago at a country club in St. Charles before he was CEO. Hilarous and generous guy. He'd take down a pack of heaters during the round. He'd drink the McD's coffee. Keep up the good work, Jimmy boy!

McDonald’s food is unhealthy horrible food. They use commercials and food that taste like candy to get children and unsuspecting people to shop there. Stop, don’t go to McDonald’s and buy/eat bad food like substance.

You eat there a lot you die!

Anyone who takes their kids or themselves to this disgusting place should have their heads examined. Do your homework, look at what goes into this crap they pass off as food. You're better off eating a Twinkie and we all know how bad that is. Of course they want to hide the information from consumers, they need to in order to stay in business.

Here is a concept, if you want to know what you are eating, eat at home. Do you know what is on the clothes you buy, the detergent you wash your clothes with, the air you breathe? Eat at McDonald's and lighten up, you all KNOW you love it, your just ticked that you do love it!