McDonald’s ‘must drop its Monopoly competition’: Experts say competition’s rewards are irresponsible

McDonald’s today faced new demands to lower its monopoly prices, as protesters accused the company of needlessly fueling the UK’s obesity epidemic.

Experts described the annual marketing campaign, first launched in 1987, as “totally irresponsible” and said it would inevitably lead to more junk food being sold by the fast food giant.

It was stated that only healthy menu options such as fruit, salad and bottled water should be included in the program.

Prizes offered at this year’s edition of the chain competition are £100,000, a Mini and a holiday £2,000. To claim attractive rewards, customers must collect property pieces in the famous game board style.

They are distributed in the packaging of popular McDonald’s products such as French fries, Chicken Selects, Big Tasty and Chicken Legend.

Some stickers that need to be removed provide instant food gains.

But since about two-thirds of adults and one-third of children are overweight, Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of Action on Salt, told MailOnline: “This is completely irresponsible marketing, especially if customers are being encouraged to eat more from saturated fats.” and salt – not to mention heavily sugary drinks.

Choosing french fries as a side dish will give you two extra stickers, other options will give you three.

Each Monopoly piece represents roads and train stations, just like the classic board game, and you get a prize when you collect a set.

HOW SHOULD A BALANCED NUTRITION BE?

According to the NHS, meals should be potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains.

• Eat at least 5 servings of different fruits and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables count

• Basic meals based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, preferably wholemeal

• 30 grams of fiber per day: Equivalent to eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruit and vegetables, 2 whole-grain biscuits, 2 thick slices of wholemeal bread, and a large baked potato in the crust

• Have some alternatives to milk or dairy products (such as soy drinks) and choose lower-fat and less-sugar options.

• Eat beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 servings of fish per week, one of which is fat)

• Choose unsaturated fats and spreads and consume sparingly.

• Drink 6-8 glasses / glass of water a day

• Adults should have less than 6 g of salt per day and less than 20 g of saturated fat for women and less than 30 g for men.

Source: NHS Eatwell Guide

‘It is essential that there is no HFSS only [high in fat, salt and sugar] food and drink should be marketed in this way, for example by offering free salads and bottled water.

“These HFSS foods and beverages can be marketed without serious restrictions to vulnerable children who have no idea how unhealthy these products are.”

The more food you buy in McDonald’s Monopoly, the greater your chances of winning.

Some foods are more likely to be successful than others.

For example, two stickers are provided with the fries, but you get three for options like salad, a bag of vegetables, or a bag of fruit.

Other calorie options also give shoppers three stickers like Big Tasty, Chicken Selects, and frozen strawberry lemonade.

There are five £100,000 prizes, 21 Mini Electric Cars and a £802,000 TUI Holiday to be won as part of the game, which runs until 18 October.

More than 100 Brits are vying for £1,000 home tech vouchers, while there are 510 coupons for concert tickets and thousands of McDonald’s Gold Cards that give winners a free meal a week for a year.

But fast food fans are more likely to win free meals.

There are millions of instant win coupons for popular menu items like Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets, and McFlurry.

Dr. Duane Mellor, a dietitian at Aston Medical School in Birmingham, told MailOnline that it would encourage people to eat more, despite what many refer to as “harmless pleasure”.

He said: ‘We must remember that it is designed to encourage repeated use.

That means coming back for more food and drink, yes there are healthier options available, but how often are they picked?

Most instant gains are popular items that are often high in fat, salt or sugar and therefore calories.

“It’s kind of like a freebie offer to a domain in supermarkets that our government forbids you to ban.

‘[But McDonald’s offer] can help you save [or win] but the net effect is that you spend more and therefore consume more calories, fat, salt and sugar.’

But Professor Gunter Kuhnle, a nutritionist at the University of Reading, told MailOnline, “It just seems like a normal marketing campaign.”

“I don’t think this is particularly bad or good, it’s more like other food-related campaigns where you have to collect more items,” he said.

A big meal at McDonald’s — the Double Quarter Pounder with cheese, fries and a large vanilla smoothie — already contains 1,650 calories, which is almost all (2,000) a woman’s recommended daily intake and more than two-thirds of a man’s. .

It also contains 88 g of sugar – about three times the recommended daily amount – and 4.5 g of salt – three-quarters of the daily amount.

Meanwhile, the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese (739), Big Mac (493), and Double Cheeseburger (438) are some of the worst offenders, with instant gains packed with calories too.

A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “Monopoly stickers can be ordered on our meal packages less than 400 and 600 calories, such as Premium Salads, Great Flavor Wraps, and Chicken Legend.

“By providing our customers with award-winning dining options, we offer them a variety of choices when using their earnings.

“We provide clear nutritional information at the point of sale, on our website and app, and on trays to help our customers make informed choices, and our menu has evolved over the years to offer more options than ever before, from salads, wraps, coffee, fruit or vegetable bags.

This isn’t the first time McDonald’s has requested the plan be scrapped.

Professor Russell Viner, former head of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, previously called it “undesirable in every way”.

Other activists have called for an end to deals that could add “hundreds of unplanned sugary calories to every visit.”

The radical food recommendations proposed last year by Henry Dimbleby, founder of government food czar Leon, urged food manufacturers and restaurants to pay £3 or £6 more per sugar and salt, respectively.

However, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson ruled out the sugar and salt tax during the livelihood crisis.

But from October, ministers will continue to plan to ban foods high in fat, sugar or salt from checkouts and store entrances. And in April, rules went into effect requiring all restaurants, bars, and takeaways with more than 250 employees to list calories on their menus.

But the government had previously broken rules that would have banned BOGOF and other multi-buy junk food deals since October.

Despite plans to be demolished, refills of sugary sodas will be allowed for another year.

The watered-down plans have been described by some as “government interference.”

Around 28% of adults in the UK are obese and 36% are overweight.

Experts warn that if current trends continue, by 2030 people may be more likely to be obese than at a healthy weight. And by 2040, seven out of ten people will be considered overweight.

Rates are also increasing among children. One in seven youths in shelters was obese last April, compared with one in ten pre-pandemic youth.

By year 6, the percentage of people who were overweight has increased to a quarter, compared to a fifth before Covid.