In the latest legal attack on beleaguered burger giant McDonald's, the chain is now the subject of another obesity lawsuit. New York lawyer Samuel Hirsch, fast becoming a thorn in the side of the USA's food industry, has re-filed a lawsuit a month after a judge threw it out.
The last one, on behalf of overweight teenagers, claimed McDonald's food was to blame for their fatness. Although he dismissed it, Judge Robert Sweet left the door open to Hirsch to file again and he even suggested a more compelling argument: that consumers are unaware of what goes into some of McDonald's more processed foods.
The amended lawsuit alleges McDonald's has been deceptive in its food processing as well as in its promotion and advertising, leading people to believe its products are "substantially healthier than in fact".
Hirsch, who brought an adult obesity case against several fast-food chains last year, said he had tried and failed to settle amicably with McDonald's and had no choice but to proceed.
McDonald's said: "This senseless lawsuit's selective focus on only one food organisation isÉ a serious disservice to anyone who is looking for real information about healthy lifestyles, energy balance and personal responsibility."
US National Restaurant Association president Steven Anderson backed McDonald's, calling the lawsuit "frivolous" and "ridiculous".
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 27 February - 5 March 2003