McDonalds

[beatie]

Not that I ever go there but I just found this in yesterdays Guardian ....

"You know the new-style healthy Happy Meals - the ones that were going to woo the Jamie Oliver-loving middle classes back into McDonald's? Well, it transpires that to keep the carrot sticks crunchy, they will have been sprayed with hydrogen peroxide (once deployed as rocket fuel, now more commonly used for hair-bleaching products). And fruit portions will have been bathed in citric acid to prevent browning. Is any of this a surprise? Is this actually more harmful for health than dipping things in mayonnaise or tomato ketchup? Who knows? But McDonald's has responded with the promise that all carrots on sale in their restaurants will have been harvested no more than three days earlier. So that's all right, then. "

It's so nice what they're allowed to do with food. I wonder if the ready chopped veg you buy in Supermarkets has been treated with the same delightful er, ingredients!

[sansouci]

oh, yuck. The more I hear about McD's, the less I like. And I thought I was safe with the salads & fresh fruit! BTW, does anyone know how "bad" chicken mcnuggets are? dd loves them but hardly ever gets them. Maybe I should avoid the place entirely...

[MissCheef]

wouldn't touch a McDonald's meal with a bargepole but I'll defend to the death the right for everyone else to do so if they wish

[jane313]

Is citric acid bad though? It can occur naturally in fruit like lemon juice. All baby apple and carrot have lemon juice to stop it going brown in the jar.

[pinotgrigio]

OMG!!! That has completely sealed the fate of McDonalds in my house. Do they have no scruples? I don't want to feed my children hydrogen peroxide.

Not that we ever go anyway, but now nobody can persuade me with the 'healthy options' argument.

[jane313]

I meant baby food purees

[bundle]

dd1 has been twice (once for a child's birthday party) and heartily believe you shouldn't forbid anything.

i clean my contact lenses with hydrogen peroxide

[piffle]

bagged salads yes are pretty bleach washed

[Snugs]

Not that I am defending McDonalds - but using hydrogen peroxide as a preservative for foods is quite common, it re-introduces oxygen.
You can even do it at home if you really want to - not planning on trying it myself.

[psychomum5]

All bagged salads are treated to help them stey fresh, and they are also treated to a quick squirt of oil to to make them look glossy, so they are not totally fat free either.

Chopped friut n veg I thought were sprayed with lemon juice to prevent browning, which is what I do myself to the chopped friut n veg I send in with my kiddies packed lunches.

As for macdonalds...I do take my kiddies there for a treat occasionally....yes, it may not be the healthy choice I would like my kiddies to have food wise, but then there are way more additives in sweets and icecream which I readily allow them at the weekends, so I don't see the harm really. I also find that the more you spout on to kiddies how bad something is, the more the kiddies find themselves wanting it cos it seems more attractive!

[anchovies]

I think this is a complete over reaction. Food grade hydrogen peroxide and citric acid are widely used, not just by macdonalds but by supermarkets and restaurants. I have no problems with my children occasionally visiting macdonalds. They eat healthy home made food the rest of the time.

[sansouci]

Very true, psychomum. My dd's newly-built school is practically next door to a McDonalds (the parents are livid!)& she does pressure me to take her there. So we go for her favourite chicken nuggets in a "Happy Meal" format. I think it's the toy she wants. I don't forbid it but I actively discourage going there. I must admit that having seen that film Supersize Me or whatever it's called really shocked me. I haven't eaten there since.

[SoupDragon]

Nothing wrong with citric acid.

[SoupDragon]

Out of interest, how did you think they stopped the apple slices from going brown??

(I'll ignore the hydrogen peroxide side of this)

[sansouci]

Citric acid. I do the same (when I can be bothered!) by using lemon juice on a fruit salad.

[beatie]

More bothered by the hydrogen peroxide. I wasn't aware it was a common food preservative. What else is it in?

[psychomum5]

I haven't seen Supersize me yet so really can't comment on that, but I do feel that it is how often you feed you kiddies unhealthy stuff that is a problem....not whether you just do it occasionaly for a treat. I think there is a place in their diets for macdonalds, as long as for the rest of the time they get healthy foods with the rest of the family.

[Snugs]

beatie - hydrogen peroxide - a long but quite interesting piece.

Chemically, it is water with an extra oxygen molecule bonded on.

[sansouci]

Recommend watching Supersize Me.

[MrsBigD]

have to admit McD is a weekend treat in our family, but always going for cb happymeal as dd only eats the cheese off and some chips. We're desperate to fatten her up

Havnt seen supersize me yet but defo want to see it

[oliveoil]

Dd1, who is 2.4, has been a couple of times but has just cottoned on to the freebies with the Happy Meals, bless. Don't see anything wrong with the occasional visit myself, she eats well the rest of the time, and I want her to fit in when she gets to school and not go 'McDonalds? Pray tell, what is that?'.

[pinotgrigio]

I think the reason I'm so annoyed by McDonalds is that it just pays lip service to health and is uses its giant corporate might and huge wealth to maniplate everything it wants to (including our perceptions of its products and motives). And I'm not a tree hugger, quite the contrary actually, but I find it unethical to target kids with the play food sets, happy meals, Ronald McDonald etc.

My best friends husband is a former McDonalds manager, and during one of our many "light-hearted chats" on the subject he has always given me the McDonalds side of the argument. I've also read Fast Food Nation and Not on the Label, which gives the other side of the argument.

My opinion, having obtained all the information is that while I don't actually believe that the odd McDonalds would be detrimental to DDs health (and actually, I don't dislike the food myself ) I don't agree with their marketing, control over the food production industry, heavy handedness when dealing with detractors, and half-hearted attempts at being nice-guys/concerned about the nations health when their dollar profit is really the bottom line.

Rant over.

[beatie]

It is near to impossible to visit McDonalds again after reading Fast Food Nation.

[velcrobott]

Sorry but can't help but pick this one up... I am sure you didn't mean it like that but ....

'it is how often you feed you kiddies unhealthy stuff that is a problem....not whether you just do it occasionaly for a treat"

so it is a treat to serve our kids unhealthy stuff

[velcrobott]

Pino - I went to a training course with a McDonald exec and she was telling me how the nasty McDo stuff.... can't remember most of it but clearly SHE knew the other side of the coin to their practice !