McDonald's China defends chemical used in Chicken McNuggets
Damanick Dantes

The chemical name is harder to pronounce than "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, etc." Still, it's causing McDonald's representatives in China to insist that the additive--used in Chicken McNuggets--is "harmless," despite claims to the contrary by some medical experts.

The chemical in question, tertiary Butylhydroquione, is a petroleum-based product that can cause health effects such as stomach tumors in lab animals when administered in high doses. The compound, used in McDonald's Chicken Mcnuggets, meets Chinese food safety standards. However, Liu Qingchung, a nutritionist at the General Hospital of Armed Police Forces, was quoted in China Daily as stating that the chemical used in McDonald's chicken nuggets is "toxic to some extent."

Here is an ides. Stop eating at McDonald's and save your child's life. Nothing there is safe.

The additive is also used in McDonald's restaurants in the U.S. and Japan, where it also meets national health standards. Meanwhile, China's State Food and Drug Administration will continue to monitor the safety of McNuggets.

The situation is of particular concern in a nation where poultry is the second most-consumed meat after pork. Bloomberg Businessweek reports that demand this year is estimated at more than 12.6 million tons, adding that safety concerns about food have risen in China since contaminated milk powder killed at least six babies in 2008 and sickened about 300,000 children. That same year, pesticide-tainted dumplings imported from China sickened at least 10 people in Japan.

Happy Meal Toy Lawsuit Is Out to Lunch
by Brett Singer (Subscribe to Brett Singer's posts) Jun 24th 2010 3:00

Will banning Happy Meal toys make kids eat healthier? Credit: Ben Stansall, AFP / Getty Images

Fighting childhood obesity is a good thing. Unfortunately, some folks are too focused on the toys in our kids' hands rather than the unhealthy food in their mouths.

Remember last month, when the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance to prevent restaurants from giving away toys with unhealthy meals? Someone at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) must have thought that was a great idea. The advocacy group is planning to sue McDonald's over Happy Meal toys, because it says the toys are designed to get children to use their "pester power" to convince Mom and Dad to visit the Golden Arches. Once there, kids acquire the latest cheap plastic doohickey, which comes with fattening food.

We know children can become obsessed with a plaything if they see a commercial for it over and over again. But if the folks at the CSPI believe separating Happy Meals from toys is going to keep kids out of McDonald's, they must be out to lunch.

CSPI seems like a good organization. According to its website, the group currently is working toward "accurate and honest labeling on food packages," improving food safety laws and getting junk food out of our schools.

These are laudable goals. But this threatened lawsuit against McDonald's is attacking the wrong problem.

Yes, marketing to children is excessive. But kids aren't eating the toys. Does anyone really believe children will stop wanting McDonald's french fries without the promise of a free toy? (Hasn't anyone at CSPI ever eaten those fries? They may not be healthy, but they're delicious.) And what about all of the adults scarfing down Big Macs every single day? Not all of the billions and billions of burgers the fast food giant has served over the years were eaten by grade-schoolers. A lack of toys isn't sending grownups to the salad bar.

Here's some free advice for CSPI and food advocates everywhere: Want kids to eat healthier? Focus on the food. Not the toys.