Creating a " Demon " !

The franchise owners of a McDonalds store have offered a $ 66,000 dollar sponsorship to Shellharbour hospital - and this has been rejected because the hospital fears that it would compromise it's " product endorsement " policy, and now that rejection has been approved by the Australian Medical Association ( AMA ).

McDonalds has become the whipping boy of the food fanatic movement, probably because it was the first - and certainly the most successful - food chain to spread it's " Golden Arches " across the entire world.   Whenever a proposal for a new McDonalds store arises, it attracts objections that range from petitions to outright demonstrating mobs that gain media attention.

That magic word - " Obesity " - is at the core of the anti-McDonalds movement.   We are an over-weight nation in an over-weight world and it is claimed that the primary culprit is McDonalds because they serve food that the pundits consider unhealthy and they are one of the biggest advertisers on this planet - and most of their advertising is aimed at kids.

Strangely, this bitter opposition does not seem to have the same vitriol when it applies to McDonalds competitors - such as Hungry Jacks,  KFC, Red Rooster - nor to the plethora of little hamburger joints and cafes dotted around every shopping centre and even every country town.    They all offer the same fare - cooked in oil - and that seems to be the food we mere mortals consume at every opportunity.

The reason it is so popular is because it is quick to prepare, very tasty - and much cheaper than food prepared and served in the traditional way.   McDonalds pioneered what became known as " fast food " - and now they are paying the price because of it's popularity.

No doubt the rejection of that $ 66,000 sponsorship will make some food fanatics feel happy, but in reality it is a disaster for the cash strapped hospital.    The money would have advanced some form of patient care and it is doubtful that this " victory " will have any change in the numbers passing through McDonalds doors to grab a quick lunch or dinner.

And in the end - how we eat and how this affects our waistlines is a matter of free choice.  It seems strange that some people think they have the right to dictate their views on cuisine to others.