Mumsnet and McDonalds

[tattychicken]

DH popped into a Mcdonalds yesterday to (ahem) use the facilities. Did his usual trick of taking his iPhone with him, and later let me know that when he was connecting to the Internet, the free wifi for McDonalds users popped up 'in conjunction with Mumsnet'!!! The blurb on mumsnet still says they don't allow advertising from mcdonalds, but when we googled it, it turns out this ban was lifted last May, and 'Mumsnet is proud to be associated with the family friendly restaurant'. .

WTF? You might be, MNHQ, but I'm not.

"Worral no I don't credit all parents with the intelligence to not be swayed by McD advertising as I've taught many of their children and continuously read about our rocketing obesity levels."

mrsheffley but do you actually think those childrens parents are ones that even use mnet or have a clue what it is about?

my dp works with deprived children and their families, and in his experience most of them either dont have a clue what mnet is or they are not interested in using the site, partly because its seen as a middle class parenting forum! he has at times suggested various parenting forums as a good source of information, support etc.

I cba to read this thread, but just wanted the OP to know how much you've made me CRAVE a Maccy D's, and I've got Fat Fighters in the morning so can't have one, you utter, utter bastard!

no marianneM they shouldnt be content to eat junk that is not what i meant but threads like this and they way posters come across with a snobby attitude to food (even if they dont mean to) does in the experience my dp has with his work, put those parents that could do with a bit of help/eduaction etc OFF using mnet.

Mrs I am insulting you? Do you not think calling mothers bad parents because they go to mcdonalds once in a while is insulting? Its not ideal but it is not bad parenting!

Working Class families?
Because they are obviously far too poor and ignorant to make decisions for themselves.
While nice middle class posters like you can decide what is good for them.

So we can add ' frozen veg ' to the list that includes fruit shots and Gregs !

If MN want to do something about children eating crap for lunch, it'd be a lot more effective to revive Jamie Oliver's project

I thought Jamie's project failed because the kids wouldn't eat all that stuff.

While nice middle class posters like you can decide what is good for them

Whicjh of course is what Middle Class people like to do :)

ladybeagleeyes is that aimed at me? i am not trying to decide what is good for anyone, but i do feel that this site doesnt appeal to some of the parents that could benefit from it the most at times and i dont think banning advertsing of mcdonals will make a blind bit of difference to them! or to most people tbh, we can all make our own choices, we have mc donalds sometimes, as many posters have said as part of an over all balanced diet its fine!

the problem lies with those that either dont know or cant afford a balanced diet, and that is not a problem that is going to be solved by an advertising ban!

Hello all,
Just to reiterate what Helen said further down/up (depending on your preferences) and to clear up a few other things raised - MacDonalds is a member of our Family Friendly wifi programme which is open to all public wifi providers. All that means is that they can display our FF Wifi logo and say that their public wifi is filtered for e.g hardcore porn, self harm sites etc. They pay a nominal fee to be a part of the programme and it is only concerned with their Wifi provision.

Here is exactly what we've agreed MacDs can say about the programme. And as far as I'm aware that is all they are saying.

(Nearly fell over when I saw what tattychicken said MacDs was saying about "MN being proud to be associated with the family friendly restaurant" because tbh we wouldn't let any company use words like that - far too cheesy - quite apart from the issue of whether a fast food restaurant could reasonably be classed as really family friendly.)

That said, we would allow MacDonalds to advertise on MN - a decision we came to last year having previously had them on our banned list, following extensive consultation with users and a clear majority saying they wouldn't mind. Since we reached that decision they have done a small amount of advertising on the site, but nothing major.

As ever, though, always happy to hear thoughts (either way) on whether you think we're doing the right thing.

5mad that's ridiculous schools/children's centres send out plenty of info re healthy eating(construed as snobby eating values) in many a deprived area and it doesn't put parents off. Many are greatful for help and proper information.

So what nobody is allowed to support/discuss/promote healthy eating now for fear of making people feel bad?What utter madness!

Personally, I always feel sick after I've eaten a McDonalds.

From Bettybat's post at 09.35
This worries me - from their site, about what's in their buns: Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes), water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, yeast, soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, wheat gluten, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide, soy flour), calcium propionate and sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin.

Betty, I know you have made a correction later in this thread, but you need to be very careful when making serious accusations such as the above. The ingredient list you have posted is clearly from the McDonald's USA site. How do I know? Because some of the ingredients you have listed are BANNED outside the USA. You have just accused a UK company of breaking the law.

I will add that in America, it's not only McDonald's using these banned ingredients, they are commonly used by many bakery companies there.

No it wasn't 5mad, it was aimed at Marianne.
I agree with you

"All that stuff?"

You mean normal meals like shepherd's pie, roast beef etc instead of burger, chips and coca cola?

What Jamie's project didn't fail it's been a huge success,have you not read all the recent press about secondary kids are eating far healthier meals now and how Jamie wants the gov to ensure kids in academies get the same?

I dont think mumsnet had to explain themselves. They can advertise who they want.

i never said ti couldnt be discussed Mrs heffley i said the MANNER in which it is often discussed on mnet puts people off using it and my dp has direct experience of this through his job!

thankyou ladybeagle :)

Stop spelling it with an A! It's McDonalds, not MacDonalds. I have no idea why I care, but it makes me twitch.

I think Shepherds Pie and Roasts are traditionally British, and are probably what the 'working class' eat and have eaten for generations, except when they treat themselves to a Macdonalds.

So just how should one discuss the fact that a diet with too many Happy Meals is going to be very bad for a child's health?

Well Jamie is looking curvier.

Jamie also doesn't seem to have a problem with his supermarket tie-ins. Weird how those same supermarket do deals to allow their land next to their supermarkets for McD's and Burger Kings to be built on .

A diet of too much of the same thing is bad for anyone MrsHeffley.

I make fresh meals for my family. Fresh meat, fresh veg etc and I think I am very good at cooking healthy meals to be honest. No one is making you feel bad for healthy eating, it is the other way round. For example if someone said they were feeding their family in carrot sticks dipped in humus I wouldnt say a thing. But you have insulted people for eating mcdonalds and this makes you sound snobby whether you like it our not. Have you noticed that lower class people never insult the upper class for eating healthy yet the upper class look down on the lower class for having a bloody burger!