McDonald’s boss ‘Games to blame for childhood obesity’
01-08-08, 04:06 PM
#1
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McDonald’s boss ‘Games to blame for childhood obesity’
This guy's a piece of work:
McDonald's 1000+ Calorie breakfast meals wouldn't have anything to do with that, would it?
Steve Easterbrook admits restaurant has role to play – but points finger at interactive entertainment
The chief executive of McDonald’s UK has hit out at video games for being a major cause of the childhood obesity crisis.
Steve Easterbrook told The Times that the food and drinks industry shared responsibility for the issue with individuals and Government.
But he made special mention of the popularity of games – and said they have reduced the amount of time young people spend outdoors “burning off energy”.
“The issue of obesity is complex and is absolutely one our society is facing, there’s no denial about that,” said Easterbrook. “But if you break it down I think there’s an education piece: how can we better communicate to individuals the importance of a balanced diet and taking care of themselves?
“Then there’s a lifestyle element: there’s fewer green spaces and kids are sat home playing computer games on the TV when in the past they’d have been burning off energy outside.”
According to The Times, McDonalds UK is ‘on the brink of its best year for two decades’. The firm has enjoyed six per cent like-for-like sales growth in the last year. More than 88 million visits were made to McDonald's restaurants last month, up 10 million on the previous year.
The chief executive of McDonald’s UK has hit out at video games for being a major cause of the childhood obesity crisis.
Steve Easterbrook told The Times that the food and drinks industry shared responsibility for the issue with individuals and Government.
But he made special mention of the popularity of games – and said they have reduced the amount of time young people spend outdoors “burning off energy”.
“The issue of obesity is complex and is absolutely one our society is facing, there’s no denial about that,” said Easterbrook. “But if you break it down I think there’s an education piece: how can we better communicate to individuals the importance of a balanced diet and taking care of themselves?
“Then there’s a lifestyle element: there’s fewer green spaces and kids are sat home playing computer games on the TV when in the past they’d have been burning off energy outside.”
According to The Times, McDonalds UK is ‘on the brink of its best year for two decades’. The firm has enjoyed six per cent like-for-like sales growth in the last year. More than 88 million visits were made to McDonald's restaurants last month, up 10 million on the previous year.
01-08-08, 04:40 PM
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Originally Posted by CKMorpheus
This guy's a piece of work:
McDonald's 1000+ Calorie breakfast meals wouldn't have anything to do with that, would it?
McDonald's 1000+ Calorie breakfast meals wouldn't have anything to do with that, would it?
01-08-08, 04:56 PM
#3
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He's right. I blame this one for childhood obesity :
http://www.mcvideogame.com/index-eng.html
http://www.mcvideogame.com/index-eng.html
01-08-08, 05:49 PM
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Games are only part of the problem.
01-08-08, 05:51 PM
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I'd say it all ties in, so I don't really see it as a problem that he mentioned games. McDonald's definitely shouldn't shoulder all of the blame at any rate.
01-08-08, 05:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Draven
I'd say it all ties in, so I don't really see it as a problem that he mentioned games. McDonald's definitely shouldn't shoulder all of the blame at any rate.
01-08-08, 07:27 PM
#7
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I don't see anything wrong with his comment. He doesn't blame video games entirely, nor does he absolve McDonalds of any responsiblity. He specifically mentions the importance of a balanced diet.
01-08-08, 07:32 PM
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I dont eat McDonalds (or any fast food) or play video games but it seems like if you are playing video games your hands are occupied and you can use them to stuff fatty snack foods into your mouth.
01-08-08, 08:11 PM
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Originally Posted by DVD Josh
They might, but let's point another big finger at the parents feeding it to their kids. McDonald's breakfast is not marketed towards children.
01-08-08, 11:35 PM
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Can somebody explain how his truthful statements make him "a piece of work"? Does anybody want to deny that some of the hours kids from just twenty years ago spent running around have been diverted to videogames and computer time?
Or was there more said that simply wasn't quoted? There's no link to check it out.
Or was there more said that simply wasn't quoted? There's no link to check it out.
01-08-08, 11:44 PM
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Originally Posted by mr.snowmizer
Can somebody explain how his truthful statements make him "a piece of work"? Does anybody want to deny that some of the hours kids from just twenty years ago spent running around have been diverted to videogames and computer time?
Or was there more said that simply wasn't quoted? There's no link to check it out.
Or was there more said that simply wasn't quoted? There's no link to check it out.
I think that gaming fans are getting tired of the industry being viewed as a scapegoat for societal ills. (See soft drinks and senseless violence.)
The real problem is a lack of personal responsibility worldwide. Getting fat isn't your fault. Neither is shooting someone. It's because you play those damned video games. That's the (ridiculously flawed) perception. It's an individual's responsibility to be healthy or not, and it's an individual's decision whether or not to pull the trigger or plunge that knife into someone's chest.
01-09-08, 04:11 AM
#12
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Originally Posted by Peter Skerritt
I think that gaming fans are getting tired of the industry being viewed as a scapegoat for societal ills. (See soft drinks and senseless violence.)
01-09-08, 05:08 AM
#13
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i can't even remember the last time I saw a kid playing outside. All my guitar students talk about is playing video games. There probably is a lot of truth to this statement, although there's no way the guy from Mcdonalds should be telling us what the problem is with today's kids, health-wise.
01-09-08, 07:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Suprmallet
More than that, it's the hypocrisy of a McDonald's exec pointing fingers at video games over the obesity issue.
Of course, the world would be a better place if parents would do a better job and stop expecting corporate America to do their work for them.
01-09-08, 07:52 AM
#17
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Originally Posted by raven56706
playing outside is really a thing of the past... no one does it...Plus with all the sickos kidnapping kids, i am sure parents are afraid too
Regarding videogames making kids fat, where does Dance Dance Revolution fit in with the argument
01-09-08, 08:38 AM
#18
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Originally Posted by DVD Josh
They might, but let's point another big finger at the parents feeding it to their kids. McDonald's breakfast is not marketed towards children.
It's not like when we go for fast food, I take my kids anywhere healthier, but at least they aren't trained to only want to go to one place like Pavlov's dog. So with the variety they get(chick fil-a, Penn Station, KFC, Taco Bell, Burger King, Hardees, etc.), they don't have that one place nagging at their brain every time we go out. This way they can make up their own mind as to what they like and not have it sold to them through marketing bullshit.
In the end though, it's all rests squarely on the parents. It's not like these kids can drive themselves to McDonalds. Same with games and TV. All in moderation.
01-09-08, 10:58 AM
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I live in a family-oriented neighborhood with plenty of kids. The fat ones I only see when the go from house to car or back. The rest, the ones running around in the street playing football or what have you, are slim and fit. I assume they eat very similar diets. Activity level is more important than food intake, but in the end it's all about parenting. It's up to the parents to observe their kids and if they allow them to stay inside and game/read/surf/watch TV all the time, they need to feed them fewer calories.
01-09-08, 01:30 PM
#21
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Originally Posted by Adam Tyner
He admits that his industry shares some of the responsibility, and I can't say he's wrong. You can eat terrible, terrible food and stay rail thin (I'm proof!). You can play video games and live a happy, healthy, productive lifestyle. In a lot of these cases, it's the combination of kids eating poorly and not exercising. I'm not saying video games should shoulder the blame, but they're absolutely a factor.
Of course, the world would be a better place if parents would do a better job and stop expecting corporate America to do their work for them.
Of course, the world would be a better place if parents would do a better job and stop expecting corporate America to do their work for them.
01-09-08, 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by uncle-frank
^^damn, beat me to mckids. though i am very late on this anyways.
if you didn;t eat all that fast food, you would be so sluggish and late
