Innocent drinks on trial at McDonalds

[gertvegan]

Lovers of Innocent drinks, have got themselves in a McMuddle about the company’s decision to trial its kids drinks in FatRonalds.

Read more here. (http://www.newconsumer.com/news/item/innocent_on_trial_at_mcdonalds/)

[ph63228]

fucking rediculouse, cant believe the company is allowing it's product to be sold and advertised by such a crap food company.

[Maisiepaisie]

Why is it ridiculous? It won't cause more animal suffering so whats the problem? I think its shame that McDonalds have now stopped selling veggieburgers. OK they weren't vegan so I couldn't eat them but for non vegans they were a better alternative than meat. The only reason they stopped selling them is because they weren't popular because a lot of veg*ns refuse to eat in McDonalds even if there is food they can eat. Their fries and apple pies are vegan. Now there is no veggie alternative at McDonalds which will cause more animals to be eaten as a lot of omnis might have chosen the healthier option. I find it strange that people refuse to buy veg*n foods at McDonalds yet most of them shop at supermarkets selling meat. Whats the difference? :confused:

[horselesspaul]

http://www.mcspotlight.org/

[Mr Flibble]

Because supermarkets sell tens of thousands of products by hundreds of manufacturers. McDonalds sell a handful of products made by them. If I could boycott all companies with either dodgy practices or any interaction with others that do then I would, but to boycott all supermarkets would be quite challenging. Boycotting individual companies however is very easy. I've not eaten anything from McDonalds this millenium and I'm quite happy for this to remain the case.

[Maisiepaisie]

http://www.mcspotlight.org/
Yes I know about all their unethical policies but the supermarkets are no angels either. In fact there aren't very many companies that are totally ethical. When veganism becomes more widespread it will be easier to find food while out and about. Until that day comes if I'm starving and theres nothing but McDonalds I'll get some fries. At least now I can have a healthy drink as well!

[Korn]

Because supermarkets sell tens of thousands of products by hundreds of manufacturers. McDonalds sell a handful of products made by them.

...and if someone says that this won't change if vegans and vegetarians boycott the veggie products they try to introduce (that are not made by them)?

[Maisiepaisie]

...and if someone says that this won't change if vegans and vegetarians boycott the veggie products they try to introduce (that are not made by them)?
I agree. McDonalds would still be selling the veggieburgers if people wouldn't boycott. Maybe they would have eventually started selling vegan burgers.

[horselesspaul]

Yes I know about all their unethical policies but the supermarkets are no angels either. In fact there aren't very many companies that are totally ethical. When veganism becomes more widespread it will be easier to find food while out and about. Until that day comes if I'm starving and theres nothing but McDonalds I'll get some fries. At least now I can have a healthy drink as well!
If you knew ALL about their unethical policies there's no way you would set foot in there. Have you actually browsed MacSpotlight. Dave and Helen went through so much sh!t to show us this stuff it deserves a good perusal.
Supermarkets generally are far less focused on destruction and homogeneity than MacDonald's. They make Sainsbury's look like Clive's Pies.

[sleepydvdr]

I think vegans are just mad at McDonald's for many reasons. One, they used to proudly change their sign (over 50 billion burgers sold, 60, 70, etc). Then there used to be a ton of advertisements on TV directed at kids to eat unhealthy (I don't know if they still do this). Now, the company is pretending to have healthy food when it's not much healthier than before. And worst of all, they switched from good apple pies back in the 90s to the crappy baked pies they serve today.:D I might actually go there again if they would serve the good ones again.

[harpy]

I shan't be going there, but on balance I think it's better if they sell some non-crap, because the people who go there might buy it instead of the crap.

[Agatha]

hurray!!! i cheered. McDonald's just aren't going to fuck off so why shouldn't they put some real food on the menu for a nice change. The salads' have more fat than the burgers and more chlorine than swimming pools (both actiual facts), the chips are prolly cooked in the same oil as the burgers (i wouldn't trust the spotty workers) the orange juice cost twice as much as the coke... at least an innocent smoothie is in a nice sanitised little bottle of real fruit. obviously, i would rather never have to go in there but sadly i do. i do a lot of Outreach work at the moment which means taking disabled children out into the community and so often the parents request lunch at McDonalds. I can't really say no as the idea the children do the same activities as non disabled people. hmph. hopefull i can now get some fruit into the fussy eaters.

[frank language]

the chips are prolly cooked in the same oil as the burgers (i wouldn't trust the spotty workers)
Over the years, there has been a controversy over McDonald's using beef extract to flavor the fries; I am unclear if they've stopped doing this.

But true, I don't expect places like McDonald's to segregate non-meat items from meat; only a few privately-owned local places I know of have ever made it known a few of their items are vegan and cooked on a separate grill:

• Sassy's Sliders (now defunct): always cooked their vegan "veggie" slider [bite-sized burger] on a separate grill and made it known; what killed the experience was that the counter person always always automatically asked, "You want cheese on that?" It was the crappy pasteurized process "cheese food" singles; why would I want that?

• Dash: a burger-and-dog joint on the Lower East Side (good for a pre- or post-club bite) that very specifically announces that it cooks its veggie dogs and burgers on a separate grill; problem is--I later realized--their buns probably aren't vegan. Oh well.

[Risker]

The salads' have more fat than the burgers and more chlorine than swimming pools (both actiual facts)

I can believe the first bit about the fat but I don't think more chlorine than swimming pools is very accurate!

Still, I wont eat there.

[Mr Flibble]

Over the years, there has been a controversy over McDonald's using beef extract to flavor the fries; I am unclear if they've stopped doing this.

AFAIK they don't use this in the UK.

My reasons for boycotting them stem much more from just the fact that they sell meat. They are an extremely dodgy company who I don't want to help survive in the world. If you've an hour 22 to spare, this video (http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=547901963081075342&q=mclibel&total=15&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0) is well worth a watch.

[Agatha]

I can believe the first bit about the fat but I don't think more chlorine than swimming pools is very accurate!

Still, I wont eat there.

i knew someone would pull me up on this! i'm going to try to find the article. They use more chlorine per litre of water than a swimming pool in 'sanitising' their salads.

*goes to look*

[Otter_]

This link shows that it's not just the drink, but the ice that might also be questionable at fast food places.

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=25602

[missbettie]

I agree with Maisie. There are a ton of companies that are really bad, however some of them like McDonalds are never going to go anywhere. I don't really eat there but if I have to I will get french fries and sometimes they have apple slices.

Maybe I am a hypocryte cause I won't eat at KFC (even if I was starving)....I don't know, I do as much as I can.

[Risker]

i knew someone would pull me up on this! i'm going to try to find the article. They use more chlorine per litre of water than a swimming pool in 'sanitising' their salads.

*goes to look*

That I can believe :)

Ice is notoriously bad no matter where you get it from, so just don't get it.

[Roxy]

IMaybe I am a hypocryte cause I won't eat at KFC (even if I was starving)....I don't know, I do as much as I can.

Glad to hear you don't eat at KFC :) I regularly attend protests against that company and encourage the general public to boycott them.

[Sluggie]

While I wouldn't eat at McD's myself, I'm always pleased to see more veg*n options at places like this. More people might be encouraged to go veg*n if they know they can always find something to eat wherever they go with their friends.

[Roxy]

It's not just vegans and vegetarians either who eat the veg burgers at these places. Some people who are dieting and still want junk food will eat the veg burgers because they are lower in calories and fat. Veg burger + diet coke.

[twinkle]

And my Muslim colleagues will always go for either the veggie or fish options at places like McDonalds (because the meat won't be halal).

[missbettie]

Glad to hear you don't eat at KFC :) I regularly attend protests against that company and encourage the general public to boycott them.

ya it might as well be called Kill Fu*king Chicken. My roomies are scared to bring it home! :D

[SonOfSylvanus]

[snip]to boycott all supermarkets would be quite challenging.[snip]

I boycott all supermarkets (2 or 3 years). I boycott McDonalds and all other fast food chains too (longer). Even before I was veg*n I've always just taken a bottle of water and some fruit or a sandwich with me so that I'm rarely caught out. If I am caught out, I'll just keep walking 'til I find a cornershop and a (horribly over-sweet) flapjack or something. Or I'll just wait 'til I get home again. No biggie.

Where I fudge my line (the line between adhering to my beliefs and plain hypocrisy) is that I will buy 'accidentally' vegan food from local restaurants that mainly sell meat. My line might not make much sense to anyone else and it is certainly not consistent with my wanting to not support the meat industry, but it makes some sense to me. I think that large corporations like McDonalds and Tescos are hugely destructive in more ways than their being props for the meat industry.

But of course, as people have pointed out, these things aren't black and white. Supermarkets sell thousands of goods and are probably the largest retailers of organic, fairtrade and vegetarian products(?), which is kind of positive. And maybe if McDonalds still sold veggie burgers (they don't?!), omnis might be persuaded once in a while to forgo meat.