Olympic 'health message' lost to McDonald's sponsorship
The 2012 London Olympics may have seemed like a perfect opportunity to really drive home the healthy lifestyle message as the nation celebrate the best in sport. But a small, high fat fly in the ointment has emerged with the news that more than one in five of the meals served to spectators will be from fast food favourite McDonald's. And now health campaigners are arguing that all those burgers and fries will heavily undermine the possibility of improving the health of the nation.
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As it stands, around 3 million of the total 14 million meals sold during the two-week sporting event are expected to come from the fast food chain and the sponsors of the 2012 Games are McDonald's, Coca-Cola (which will provide all branded soft drinks) and Cadbury. Hardly the image of a healthy lifestyle. But without their cash, the Olympics just "simply couldn't happen" said a McDonald's spokeswoman.
Ruairi O'Connor, head of policy at the British Heart Foundation, told the Daily Mail: "The focus on fast food, where the primary products are high in fat, sugar and salt, means we question whether the health legacy which has been promised will be fulfilled."
It's a good point, well made.
But there is good news for you health conscious folks. McDonald's say their outlets are expected to offer salads and porridge as well as the fat, sugar and salt-laden burgers and fries.
What do you think. Is it right that such advocates of unhealthy eating should be sponsoring one of the great highlights of the sporting calendar?
