Wednesday
Jun222011
McDonald's Canada's All-Access Moms
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 
Have you heard about the partnership between McDonald's Canada and CityLine (a Canadian daytime television show targeted at women)? They are working together to provide a FABULOUS opportunity for Canadian mom bloggers called McDonald's All-Access Moms, where real moms get to "go behind the Golden Arches."
Apparently all the cool mom bloggers in Canada got an e-mail encouraging them to apply for the program. I guess mine got lost in the mail somewhere (probably the postal strike or something). The e-mail said that the program is "designed specifically for moms who are interested in finding out the truth behind the rumours at McDonald's." I wonder which rumours those are? Like the rumours about which cashier is sleeping with which deep fryer operator?
It turns out this isn't just a little conference call with a gift card attached. This opportunity, like some others I've written about before, involves travel and behind the scenes access:
The McDonald’s All-Access Moms program will select three Canadian mommy bloggers to go on four trips across the country. Together, we will visit supplier facilities and restaurants and you’ll have the chance to ask all the tough questions –so you can find out for yourself, what is really in McDonald’s food. At the same time, we would ask you to blog openly and honestly about your experience.
CityLine camera crews and parenting expert Nanny Robina will also be on the trips, capturing all the action, as there is nothing to hide!
The program will kick off with a trip to corporate headquarters in Toronto and then a visit to the Innovation Centre and test kitchen in Chicago – this July! Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions at all, I’d be happy to provide some more details.
There is one hitch. The program is not eligible to residents of the province of Quebec, so I can't apply (update: apparently moms in Quebec can apply, but there is a separate French website for them). But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to put together a little video, like the real applicants will be doing, to tell McDonald's and CityLine why I want to be a McDonald's All-Access Mom (if the video doesn't display or doesn't work for you, you can access it here on YouTube).
To those who do apply, I wish you safe travels and enjoyable doublespeak. Maybe you can keep a cheeseburger from the tour to show to your grandchildren one day.CityLine is right about one thing: Mom Knows Best. That's why this mom will keep teaching her kids about the dark side of companies like McDonald's instead of lining up to be part of their multi-billion dollar marketing machine.
Reader Comments (94)
VERY well said Jen. Without all the facts, how can we as parents feel good about the choices we make for our children?
Continuing to learn and educated myself helps me be a better parent, and blogs like Annie's help bring an awareness to issues many are afraid to talk about. Once you have the information, it's your choice what you do with it. Some will choose to ignore it, some will choose to make changes (every small change adds up!), and others will go a step further and take action, educate and inspire the public. But change is hard, and it takes time. I don't believe ignoring the issues will ever be the best approach.
The issue is with MacDonald's, not the parents taking their children to MacD. Many are completely unaware of their practices and the effect they have on society as a whole. I certainly hope Annie continues to bring to these issues to light.
Great video Annie! Nicely done.
Fake Mom - don't forget that McDonald's whole agenda is to 'educate' the all-access moms. I tend to think that their scope of shared information will be a good deal more myopic than the views expressed here. McDonald's doesn't need any more cheerleaders.
Love it. And the video? Awesome. I would like those answers, too. I do take my kids to McDonald's from time to time, but I'm not for a second going to buy that it's healthy.
And thanks for using the correct "its" in your video.
The picture of that 12 year old hamburger is frightening.
Yes, exactly! I HATE the "healthy choices" campaign. And it always turns out that the salad is ridiculous high in calories and the apple slices have caramel sauce (pure sugar) and the oatmeal has more sugar and fat than a Snicker's bar. I actually don't have a huge problem with "junk" food per se. I'm an "everything in moderation" kind of person, and I don't fool myself about the organic "whole grain" food I sometimes buy, which can still be dressed up/dressed down junk food (I remember a comment Annie made here a while ago about hating fake health food - like organic Os that have sodium and sugar, unlike good old Cheerios which are healthy and yummy). I have a problem with false advertising - pretending something is healthy when it isn't. So I don't have a problem with McDs' existence or advertising generally, except for the Happy meals targeting of children and the very deception "healthy choices" campaigns, which I think are really unethical and gross. They should just say, Come to McDonalds! have a burger and fries!
Now I don't want to make it sound like I'm giving fast food industry a pass here. But I think the problem, as several of you mentioned upthread and downthread, is about food production in North America, particularly subsidies for certain kinds of crops, as well as food deserts and the lack of real fresh food in many parts of the continent (thanks in part to agrabusiness, though not exclusively), and the dire effects these can have for poor and struggling families who don't often have the "choice" to give their families healthy food.
(I know this is is an oversimplification because fast food places are involved in all kinds of business practices I find distasteful and dangerous - and the chicken issue is a real problem for me. I only eat ethical meat, and that in only small quantities.)
I absolutely agree re the corn and soy subsidies -- the movie King Corn did a great job opening my eyes there. What's ironic is that these days with our government (at least here in the US) under the reigns of big corporations, we absolutely must boycott and inform and generally drum up viral notice of corporations' bad behavior if we want to make change: because our government listens more to business than it does to us, its constituents.
Annie - this is fantastic. So glad you are taking this on!
While I agree that real moms *do* choose to go to McDonald's, I can't say I agree that choosing to educate and inform in some way makes you intolerant of those that disagree.
Ultimately its the controversial issues like this one that will get the most mileage and the most attention: because they do speak to a real sore spot with may people, because they are REAL ISSUES. I feel for families that turn to McDonald's for regular meals because its affordable and its quick. When you're working two jobs and still can barely afford groceries, McDonalds becomes a real option.
But it is the responsibility of companies to serve families like these better. They know that there are people out there who are their best customers, who eat at McDonald's more than 3 times a week, and who are suffering from obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and are likely deprived of the vitamins and minerals that would help them combat these diseases.
I think that the point in the video that spoke to me the most was actually the question of why McDonald's tries to divert the issue and refuses to engage in *real dialogue*. McDonalds can say, "Oh it's intended as a treat not a daily meal, not my problem, your problem." But that's kicking their best customers where it hurts.
When you are an institution like McDonalds, you have a responsibility to make your food the kind of food that can be eaten every day, while still being healthy. Apples with caramel sauce is not a solution, and neither is iceberg lettuce, one of the least nutritional vegetables available and a staple of fast foods' "healthy menus". Thank you, fine, for these small steps McDonalds. But we want more; a lot more. And we're not sitting down on this one. Not just for ourselves, our own families, but for "us" as a whole, all of us.
Essentially I think talking about whether or not one should eat McDonald's occasionally and whether that makes you "real", "unreal", "fake", "good", etc. draws attention away from the real point. McDonald's is a huge institution worldwide; it has a massive influence and therefore a massive responsibility. It's not easy to speak the truth about sensitive issues in the face of such a behemoth, but it must be done to create the kind of groundswell that's necessary to make change.
That's why I applaud this post and video -- because no matter what your feeling about McDonalds, the act of speaking your mind takes courage, and that courage is something we all need to get inspired by. Too many people, especially here in the US, see themselves as unable to individually make change; but businesses are listening. They hear us. So we must speak. Brava, Annie! Namaste.
Thank you for that great comment Hope.
Thank you! And "Oh no! I used the wrong its!" Oh well. ;)
Very well done. Of course, nothing will change until people Just. Stop. Eating. This. Garbage & calling it food. The "convenience" isn't worth the very real health, environmental, and animal welfare risks and negative consequences.
McDonalds crafts their food to be addictive. They add unnecessary ingredients - preservatives, artificial colorings, & flavorings to what would otherwise be "healthier" things like scrambled eggs, salad, & yogurt. they continue to peddle toys, use confusing "healthy" language in their ads, & now gifts & fame to woo parents & children to their garbage. An outright ban is what's necessary to get them to change. But I don't see that happening.
Good for you for taking a strong stance against them.
(PS sorry for any weird typos or formatting. Typed on my phone)
Another interesting video on the McDonald's Play Places:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XfooEfK9mc&feature=player_embedded
Can I side-step the whole ethical debate and ask something more plain and simple: why would I go on this trip? Sounds a bit dull to spend my time learning about a corporation without any kind of pay or major perks. And people are going to COMPETE to do this? Wacky. Call me when there is an all-access pass to Club Med or something :)
Come on Annemarie. REAL moms get stuck in traffic and have toddlers who melt down. REAL moms sometimes forget to bring a healthy lunch. REAL moms sometimes take their kids to McDonalds. REAL moms realize the world is not black and white.
Ok, sorry Anne-Marie, I back off on my tirade above. That'll teach me to read all the comments ;)
Anne-Marie: The tone of this comment really bothers me. Being a 'real mother' isn't something that should be judged on the basis of a woman's cooking ability or nutritional knowledge.
No, it really isn't black & white.
Because REAL moms with real kids are vegetarian and vegan or have other dietary restrictions and sometimes get stuck in traffic with melting down toddlers and have already eaten all the snacks in the car. These REAL moms have to wait it out. Or at the very least continue on to the Starbucks drivethru where they actually sell REAL FRUIT with skin still on it and without preservatives added or high fructose corn syrup dipping sauce or on to WAWA where they sell *gasp* containers of carrots, celery, and cherry tomatoes or sliced mango or hummus & pita rounds - for quick fast-food snacks.
The thing is, until everyone stops making excuses for accepting the garbage that McDonalds pedals as food & just stops giving McDonald's business, they will not change. The "food" they sell is cheap because... it's cheap to make. It damages the environment, animals are used & abused in in the process, and it's detremental to human health. It really IS NOT WORTH the convenience.
There ARE better alternatives when on the go - and McDonalds needs to take a lesson from a chain like Starbucks who actually makes REAL changes to make their fast food healthier to their consumers.
ps: the "real moms" phrase has got to go. Plenty of real moms out there wouldn't even go to ANY fast-food restaurants, ever, because it isn't part of what they consider to be nutritionally or ethically responsible living. And there are plenty of real moms who can't drive or even get to a McDonalds in the first place, even if they wanted to.
To be fair, the price point at Starbucks vs. McDonald's isn't exactly the same. Plus there is one Starbucks drive through in Ottawa and at least 20 McDonald's drive throughs.
Accessibility and affordability are issues. I'll be blogging more on that this weekend. Change is needed societally and within individual families to combat this problem.
Yes, that's entirely true. People need access to healthy, inexpensive food.
But as it stands, my point is that quick, healthy food IS possible - even on the go. It may not currently be as affordable as McDonalds, but if enough people showed enough care and desire to want healthier options and to travel a bit further for those options, McDonalds might drop their apple facsimilie (for example): de-skinned, sprayed with a preservative, bagged, and packed with an artificially flavored glob of high fructose corn syrup in a tub in favor of apple slices with skin-on.
Maybe I'm wrong here. I do think a big part of the problem - whether anyone wants to admit it or not through using excuses like convenience and affordability - is NOT that people don't have access to apples but people would prefer not to eat apples. People would prefer to eat hamburgers & fries. And McDonalds fills this desire cheaply and conveniently.
Companies like McDonalds DON'T care about healthy - they just try to use it in
their advertising to appear hip to the trends. If they WANTED to offer actually healthy options, AT THE PRICE POINT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR, they could.
McDonalds is more accessible because people keep shopping there. Stop shopping there, maybe McDonalds get the message that people actually care about being healthy, not just appearing healthy. A NOD to real food isn't the same as actually offering real food.
Complex issue. I'm looking forward to your follow-up post.
On the very few occassions I have taken my child to McDonalds to eat I get the apple slices for him, but I don't give him the caramel sauce, I have control of that. It isn't the end of the world for a child to eat McDonalds on a very few occassions. I have to admit I ate there just myself today. Do I know it is horrible & terrible - yes. But I choose to anyway. I don't often feed it to my children. I think I can count on one hand the number of times they've had it.
McDonalds has been around FOREVER. I think it is up to them to provide actual healthy choices - because as mentioned their salads & other so called healthy choices have more calories than their regular good. But I also think that maybe Starbucks & other places like that could make things more affordable as well. Why are we putting everything on to the Fast Food industry to make all the changes?
We need grocery stores & other restaurants to make changes so that everyone can afford good & healthy food.
If you don't like it you don't have to go there, but to condem people who do because they like to or need to is just not right either.
Also to be fair (and speaking as a celiac mom), sometimes places like McDs are just a lot easier to deal with. Recently I travelled to Niagara Falls by car and back by train. My kid and I ate at McDs three times despite deep misgivings and despite the fact that their "allergy" sheet is hard to use and very unappetizing to read. Why? The other options were worse!
At least it was possible for me to figure out something vaguely foodlike that was safe to eat.
I do understand what you are saying and no one is perfect, I mean I've been 98% vegan for the last six months and the 2% that are missing are there because I'm too lazy to find an alternative to biscuits with milk. I could just give up the biscuits, but I haven't. And I live in country where being a vegetarian is like coming from Mars. But here is the difference; I don't start to make excuses for it. It not right and I should just put the biscuits down and if a fellow vegan tells me I'm doing the wrong thing, then he IS right to condemn me as far as I'm concerned because I KNOW what I'm doing. I know what the dairy industry is about and yet I'm participating. What's the excuse for that? Some kind of addiction? Ok, well I'll have to deal with that.
YES, companies need to be responsible, 100%. But consumers are the driving power behind their decisions. The buck lies at *our* feet. When we start being consistent, they won't have a choice. If people genuinely don't know and don't have the means to educate themselves/understand intellectually, fine. For the rest of us, and that means everyone posting here: no excuses fly. We make them, but we should be ashamed of them. People shouldn't care what my excuses are for eating a non-vegan biscuit. I don't care what your excuses are for going to MacDonald's. Every time someone appeases me it gives me the impression that it's not a big deal. Well it is. Change is the sum of tiny actions.
In the meantime, beans are incredibly cheap and easy to find just about anywhere. Everyone will always have an excuse for not doing the right thing, but it just about always falls into several categories: pleasure/ can't be bothered/ "lack of money" (please, I lived under the poverty line during my entire childhood and it continued until I was 25, and when I say poverty line, I'm talking under 300 dollars a month for three people; my parents never made an excuse even once).
[...] to feed our family better and I’m also working on a post in my head as a follow up to the McDonald’s post. I want to talk about our food system, our relationship with it, how it impacts our lives, and what [...]
HAHA! This is why I love you Julie!
This might be going a bit off topic...but I'm an SO with you in regards to the societal barriers that keep the lower class unhealthy. Not sure if they have it in Canada (though I don't see why not) but a common sight during the summer here (SC) is the ICE CREAM TRUCK!!! We don't even have to drive to pump our children full of sugar and worse. In fact, if we aren't sure when the truck is coming...we can just listen for the cheerful music to entice children in time to get money from us. Just lovely.
Where's the fruit truck? We could even have a fruit truck that accepts EBT or other government subsidies to aid in the nutrition and health of the lower classes by bringing the healthy foods TO THEM rather than letting them choose a $1 hamburger over a $1 or more apple.
As a member of the lower class, it is a struggle for me to feed our family healthfully. I do however steer clear of McDonald's, Burger King and Hardee's! I wish I could afford to go all organic. In fact, I wish I had to the money to open a fast food chain that only sold affordable healthful foods, let's call it Fresh & Fast! But alas....
THIS is why you're my favorite blogger!! Excellent video!
Glad to see you've kept an open mind here. Good example for the kids. Well done.
An open mind about what?
[...] won’t hold my breath on getting real answers to my questions to McDonald’s via whoever is chosen, because I’ve read their spin before and I doubt it has changed [...]
[...] For example, McDonald’s recent recruitment of mom bloggers in Canada. [...]
Great story and wonderful video! I am totally behind you on this issue, especially the part about holding McD's accountable for the damage it's causing to humans, animals, and the environment. Corporate abuse of our food is a very important issue that affects us each and every day. My passion for this issue attracted me to an amazing campaign called Value the Meal that challenges the fast food industry to stop marketing to kids. You should send this video to the next McD's shareholders meeting!
Wow what a video! My little boy decided at 4 that he would never eat another McNugget again because he couldn't hurt anymore animals - he hasn't eaten any meat in 7 months. I must admit we go to McDonald's from time to time but after watching this video it really makes me re think my decision. Thank you for sharing this!
Hi Annie! Sorry I'm late in commenting on this post, but I have a few thoughts I wanted to add.
My husband and I are very careful what we feed our children (and ourselves). We mostly eat in (as opposed to eating out - fast food or otherwise). We choose organic whole dairy products, meats free of hormones and antibiotics, plenty of fruits & vegetables, and fresh baked goods. We opt out of most foods in the "center aisles" of the grocery store - cupcake mixes, soda, boxed cookies, etc.
That said, I probably would strongly consider accepting an invitation like this one. I think it's important for bloggers to be able to ask these tough questions and to be willing to listen to the answers. This is how change occurs. If the only bloggers who go are the ones who LOVE McDonald's, the leaders in the company won't get an adequate representation of the issues.
Also: While McDonald's does have some practices that I don't agree with (and their food mostly makes me squeamish), I'm a big advocate for Ronald McDonald House Charities. Such a great organization, doing important things for families!
McDonalds isn't a restaurant we frequent (our girls have never had a Happy Meal or played in a McD's playland), we do stop in every once in a VERY great while for a $.99 ice cream sundae in the summer. Its not the healthiest choice, but I think small treats like that are okay. Other examples: We don't buy soda or keep it in our house, but sometimes we buy root bear and make floats for celebrations. We prefer to make our own ice cream, but sometimes we go to an ice cream shop when we are passing by. Etc.
In summary, McDonald's isn't my favorite brand (by a long shot)...but that doesn't mean that I would choose not to attend their events and/or do a campaign with them. I'd like to listen, to ask questions, to learn, and to celebrate their support of RMHC (while also challenging them to provide healthier options for families).
Your thoughts? Thanks again for writing such thought-provoking and important posts. I'm so glad that your voice is present in the blogosphere.
Stephanie:
If I thought there was any chance that McDonald's would choose someone with strong critical thinking skills, a good understanding of the issues in the food industry, and an ability to see through corporate doublespeak, I might agree with you. Instead, they made bloggers compete for the spot and chose people who love McDonald's, have popular blogs, and maybe have a few questions that they have manufactured PR responses to.
I also think that agreeing to attend one of their events and agreeing to campaign with them are two very different. I would never agree to campaign with a company that I didn't support at least 99%. Even with event attendance, I think it is also important to consider what you are getting in return. With the Nestle Family bloggers event, the bloggers were not expected to campaign on behalf of Nestle, but they were given so many gifts that I think people were pretty hesitant to say anything negative and felt obligated to say wonderful things.
I am conflicted about corporate charity by companies that have many, many issues that they are sweeping under the rug. I wrote about that in my post: http://www.phdinparenting.com/2011/06/05/does-good-cancel-out-evil/" rel="nofollow">Does Good Cancel Out Evil?
I was happy to find this after searching "all access moms mcdonalds" on Google. I just saw it on TV and was disgusted. I'm going to contact them and say so. I cannot BELIEVE what they were saying, how can loving mothers seriously think stuffing their poor babies full of brutally murdered creatures full of hormones, ulcers, infections, antibiotics, and fecal matter is good for them?! I weep for the naive, and hope for the future.
Imagine my shock when I see that one of the McDonalds bloggers expecting and drinking ! My friend “he waitress at the time” and I were both shocked and horrified to see a pregnant woman drinking alcohol. Then while looking up Nanny Robina ( we didn’t know who she was just that she was in town) we stumbled across this McDonalds thing going on and there was the picture of the expectant mother we saw drinking.
So may I ask all of you that were at the table that night, what credibility does this blogger have. An alcohol drinking pregnant women speaking up for what is right and wrong with McDonalds are you serious?
How can anyone dispute this, I am a nurse and work in the neo nato clinic. May I suggest Maureen Dennis on your n next visit to New Brunswick you come and pay us a visit , let me show you just what alcohol can do to your poor unborn baby.You may be persuaded to give up drinking while pregnant. What chance does your baby have, if their start in life is like this? YOU Maureen Dennis have a nerve to think you could possibly represent mothers in this fashion and to be in the baby business you cant possibly be serious
I just needed to get this off my chest. Please tell her, drinking while pregnant is just a big NO in any mother’s book. And you McDonalds have lost my vote as being anything but a bunch of hypocrites.
I'm a real dad. Who looks after real kids. Who have no idea what the arches mean. They're 4 and 2 and have NEVER been to a McDonalds. And have never had anything stronger than orange juice and chocolate milk in their sippy cup.
Am I perfect? Hell no. I do chicken fingers and fries at home on occasion, but my kids aren't eating in the backseat of my car. It's at the kitchen table with some carrots on the side.
[...] out {{title}}{{url}} (via @phdinparenting)'"}};} I didn’t really need another reason to dislike McDonald’s. I have so many already. Same goes for Barbie. But a few days ago, an e-mail landed in my inbox [...]
I truly couldn't care less about McDonald's, how they produce their products, or even how they market their products to my kids.
I'm confident that I as a parent am capable of combating any marketing ploys aimed at my kids. It's a shame that most parents are not. However, even that doesn't bother me because they're not my kids.
As for the humane slaughter of chickens. Seriously? Chickens? Imagine if we took all the time and resources spent on the inhumane slaughter of fowl and focused it instead on aids, cancer, natural disasters, or absolutely any actual horrific problem the human race has to deal with. We'd all be better off.
I'm confident that I as a parent am capable of combating any marketing ploys aimed at my kids. It's a shame that most parents are not.
Frankly, I think you overestimate your own influence or underestimate the influence of marketing. Yes, we should all strive to educate our children about corporate greed, health washing, green washing, double speak, and so on. But I would still prefer it be less of an uphill battle. I wrote more about that here: http://www.phdinparenting.com/2011/12/07/parents-vs-junk-food-who-is-to-blame/
I really hope that someday some parents will realised that charade and will stop poisoning thers kids. All these ugly Campaign was made because Jamie Oliver have proven that some meals of mckill are toxic, and must be forbidden. What mckill undestood from this? To bribe some 'responsable moms' to campaign alongside. In business is simple : any complain must followed by an correction. In this case, they choose bribe. I really hope that those kids of them are well and healthy. Responsability?! What is that?!
[...] rep about about gendered happy meals." Although gendered toys is obviously only one of the issues with McDonald's, Veronica took the time to explain to the rep that it might be better to ask families if they want [...]
[...] after my email exchange with the Green Moms, I saw my friend Annie’s post about the All-Access Moms, complete with a video that shines a light on some of McDonald’s questionable business [...]
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