Opinions on Mac Donalds needed for Radio 5 interview tomorrow

[Carriemumsnet]

Hi all

Justine's going to be on the Victoria Derbyshire phone in tomorrow morning 10-11am

The topic is:

It's now 50 years since McDonald's opened its first store in the US. Obviously since then its become a global power?but with the film super-size me and the anti-obesity campaigning, we are asking - "Has McDonald's had its day?"

Obviously because of how McDonald's markets itself towards kids and families, parents opinion is vital in this. Does the parent of today still take the kids to McDonald's for a birthday treat?once a month treat?or do we really now feel too worried about what's in the food? Do we think giving our kids a bit of what's bad for them as a treat is actually a good thing?or is it that we're actually impressed with the moves McDonald's have made to introduce healthier options..and after all - they know how to keep the children entertained!

Your views please!

Thanks as always

I'm listening to 5live at the moment - no mention of a McD's themed phone-in......

You know, I don't even know what a Wacky Warehouse is!

When I was growing up we would go to McDonalds maybe once every couple of months or so.

I like eating food from McDonalds . I like having a cheeseburger from there every now and again.

But I am not keen on DS (nearly 17 months) going there for a long time. I think for me he is helping me to reassess my own eating habits. I can see that as he gets older, if I want him to be healthy then I need to be healthy as well.

You know, the indoor soft play places

I'm listening too, here for anyone who wants to listen on their PC.

Aloha, it's crap and depressing, that's all you need to know!

Havnet been to McDs since in about 20 years and have no intention of ever taking dd. Never took dss (tho he did go with his mum or other people) and he knew that asking would lead to a 1/2 hour rant re Libel laws in this country and corporations taking single parents to court and freedom of speech etc etc (Thinking back guess he must have found some entertainment value in winding me up too as he never got stroppy if told no).
If I want my kids to have fast food well have fishnchips or a chinese and even then its about once every 3 months if they are lucky. If we are caught out and they are hungry Ill buy sandwiches or bread and humous/ham and give them a picnic. We do occasionally eat out but I like to find somewhere that we can all go and enjoy ourselves, local cafes are normally very good.

also ahve to say thank goodness for M&S oopening in Waterloo station Up till then the only place to get food for dss was BK and now aleast we can get half decent sandwiches (Not taht hes to pleased mind)

Also ahve to say thank

Oh and if you want the toys most our local charity shops sell them for 20p each and has most of the latest ones too so Instead of Mcds you could go to the local cafe followed by the treat of going to buy a toy or toys in the charity shop Prob work out cheaper too

There sales in the UK have apparently dropped dramatically (something like 50%) in the past year which has really scared them.
Personally I'm amazed that the message is finally getting through to people although like someone has already said it's all about moderation and can't be any worse than eating a kebab!

Fascinates me how people manage to get their knickers in such a twist over a fast food joint. If you like it - go and eat there, if you don't - go somewhere else. Surely it's simple. Why do people who've never been there or been there once and not enjoyed it feel the need to spout on about it at every opportunity for the rest of eternity and then those that do eat there feel obliged to join in and defend it. Vicious circle forming?
Sorry... just don't get what the big deal is....

M&M, because the things large corporations do DO affect us. A company with that much buying power is bound to have an effect on the world and some people don't think it's a good effect. It's not just about eating there/not eating there imo.

To be fair MandM, Justine, who co-runs Mumsnet, did ask for everyone's views for a specific reason.

But if the insidious power of big corporations is the main reason to avoid, then why single out McDonalds? Why not for example boycott Primark - I can't believe that all those dirt cheap clothes are ethically produced!

Dinosaur, I do try to buy ethically as much as possible but I take your point, there are plenty of unethical companies out there. McDonalds is an easy one to avoid for me though.

And it's not the main reason for me, it's one of many!

McDs on in next hour (next, even?)

Dinosaur - that's so true about Primark! (Worrying that)

aloha, we did go private . Most parties for this age-group will sadly force you to spend time in venues such as Tiger's Eye, Wacky Warehouse etc. They will give you migraines and hives. Your previously amenable little boy will go ape after a meal of M & Ms, cheap squash and jam sandwiches. Someone will be really sick. Someone else's socks will come off in the ball-pit, obligating any parent who was sucker enough to stay to get right down to the bottom and grope their way through it all to find the socks.
Sitting in someone's sitting room watching a camp magician with Robert Robinson hair pull silk scarves out of a little girl's ears while nursing a glass of warm Banrock Station will seem like bliss in comparison. Or you could emigrate

ha ha Marina, very accurate description of that type of party!

lol at the camp magician and Banrock Station - um, were you at the same E Dulwich birthday parties as me??
You have opened up a vision of the future...and it's HORRIBLE! Am v glum at this grim prospect. Can I just dump ds and run to the nearest cafe and drink wine, do you think?

Oh not so bad, surely, we had a party for DS2's third birthday at Kidzmania (local equivalent) last year and I thought it was fine really, and so much easier than doing it at home (in my defence DS3 was only 16 days old at the time, which is why we chose that option in the first place.

ooh, i've never typed 'lol' before. I am a real internet person now!

I was that woman in the ballpit a couple of weeks ago . It was a real Lynette moment. We found three other socks, not the child's in question, the floor of the ballpit when finally located was damp (God knows what that was) and three clunky Year Ones descended at speed on to me from inside a vertical tube.
But, hey ho, the children all had a fabulous time and didn't mind in the slightest about the jam sandwiches!