Fat Foods: Back in Court

[sangha]

http://www.time.com/time/insidebiz/article/0,9171,1101030811-472858,00.html?cnn=yes

"When a group of obese teenagers sued McDonald's, claiming that it made them fat, the widely publicized case drew howls of derision. But the burger giant and its competitors aren't laughing anymore. When Federal Judge Robert Sweet threw out the teenagers' case last February, reasoning that customers knew the dangers of eating Big Macs and supersize fries, he went on — in less noted parts of his ruling — to set the stage for future lawsuits. He noted that "Chicken McNuggets, rather than being merely chicken fried in a pan, are a McFrankenstein creation of various elements not utilized by the home cook," including ground chicken skin, hydrogenated oils and dimethylpolysiloxane, an antifoaming agent, and he questioned whether customers understood the risks of eating McDonald's chicken over regular chicken.

Attorneys for the teens, grateful for the judge's guidance, filed a revised lawsuit alleging that McDonald's engaged in deceptive advertising, in part because it failed to adequately disclose additives and processing methods that make its food less healthful. The suit is back in front of Judge Sweet, in New York City, for another round. (McDonald's says its McNuggets contain the same ingredients found in grocery-store chicken and says the second suit is as baseless as the first.)...."

If these cases are so "baseless" then why are these fast-food finaglers trying so hard to "lighten" their menu?

[sierrak9s]

1. They can't win, can they?

In response to public demand, they introduce different choices to see if people want to buy them. That response to public demand on their part is trumpeted as an admission of "guilt." On the other hand, if they had ignored public demand and refused to introduce different choices, then they're "forcing" a fat-laden menu on helpless consumers.
Bah. I'm fat. I'm fat because I like to eat fatty food and I don't choose to exercise enough self-control to prevent weight gain. Like every other person over the age of five, I know perfectly well how to become un-fat, and I have the ability to do so if I choose.
Mommy doesn't need to control what I eat. I can do that myself, thanks.