On February 27, 2018, after a ten-year hiatus, McDonald’s and Disney announced they will be striking a deal allowing Disney movie tie-ins to the toys in the corporation’s kid-targeted product, Happy Meals.
Please see Corporate Accountability’s National Campaign Organizer Alexa Kaczmarski’s statement below:
“McDonald’s latest announcement is a huge step backwards for children’s health and should give all parents pause on their next trip to the movies. Both McDonald’s and Disney are brazenly doubling down on the rotten core of their business models: marketing to kids. This deal is about one thing only: making money at the expense of kids’ health. Can Disney or McDonald’s really claim to care for children and families if it’s hawking food that makes them sick?
Despite what Disney would have people believe, McDonald’s trivial changes to its Happy Meal is simply the cover — not the reason — for this dangerous deal. Profit, regardless of its impact on kids’ health, is the real driver. Now Disney, with access to the undivided attention and trust of millions of impressionable children, will serve as McDonald’s chief junk food peddler.
But, with millions around the globe demanding an end to abusive kid-targeted marketing, McDonald’s and Disney’s fairy-tale world is crumbling around them. It’s high time they heed the calls of this growing movement and stop marketing unhealthy junk food — and junk food brands — to children.”
