Once again, McDonalds junk food restaurants are exploiting kids under the guise of an educational program. As noted here more times than Big Macs have calories, McDonalds loves to send a costumed Ronald McDonald into schools and libraries to talk about reading, physical fitness or safety. All worthy topics, but what McDonalds is really interested in is selling french fries, attracting young customers-for-life and undercutting parental control.
This time, the Seymour Public Library (why is it always the Valley?) had Ronald McDonald in earlier this month to talk about reading. Perhaps these young readers should read the nutrition content of the average quarter pounder with cheese and get a lesson on fat, sugar and salt.
Getting kids enthused about reading is important, but there are better cheerleaders than the mascot for the worst food you could possibly give your kid. Scholastic, Inc. could send Clifford, the Big Red Dog, for instance. But it’s far easier for a library or school to simply pick up the phone when the Connecticut and Western Massachusetts McDonald’s Owner/Operator Association calls pitching Ronald’s availability. Then the association’s PR firm, Cronin and Company, Inc. of Glastonbury makes sure newspapers cover the event.
As I’ve noted in the past, some of the parents of these kids may be trying to keep their kids out of McDonalds. These “It’s Book Time with Ronald McDonald” or “Active Achievers” events undermine that effort. Here’s what Yale nutrition expert Kelly Brownell says: “It is a travesty to have a PE program branded by McDonald’s. It further commercializes schools and gets the company even more publicity with children.”
Schools and libraries need to be a little smarter about this insidious effort.