When McDonald’s announced last week that it would print nutritional information on its food wrappers, USA Today reported that animal-rights activist Neal Barnard, president of the PETA-affiliated Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, wasn’t satisfied. He used the story as an opportunity to attack parents who bring their children to McDonald’s.
One fed-up USA Today reader wrote in with a proposal that he thought might satisfy Barnard:
Upon entering McDonald’s, or any other fast-food establishment, you should pass through a portal that measures your height and weight. Then, based on this information, you are told what to order and the size of the portions. Five-foot-five and 220 pounds? You get a salad, light dressing and a bottle of water. Five-foot-ten and 150 pounds? You get the double cheeseburger, medium fries and a shake. Of course, the next step would be to take a blood sample that measures cholesterol – over 175, and no beef, egg products or any fried foods. Glucose too high? No starches and forget about that soda.
We can’t help but wonder if the writer has seen our popular “Food Nazi” commercial, where Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi” (Larry Thomas) enforces exactly that kind of rigid food discipline.
Instead of the harsh attitude towards consumers that Barnard adopts, we agree with the USA Today letter writer, who argued:
America is about choice. I have a problem with people then blaming someone else so they don’t have to accept the responsibility for their own actions.
