May, 2023
By Joseph Nino, Staff Reporter
McDonald’s has captured the hearts of many Americans across the country, ranging from young children to old citizens. Children are happy when they get their Happy Meal; adults are relaxed when they order their McDonald’s coffee; and some are just hungry and have the impulse to buy a Big Mac or some McNuggets. However, McDonald’s positive perception by many Americans isn’t always well received by all. Many regard it as a risk to human health due to its food leading to health risks such as obesity, heart failure, and even infertility. Even without causing health risks, McDonald’s has been under fire with several lawsuits for racial discrimination and the safety of some people. This has caused McDonald’s to earn a sort of problematic reputation not just in America but globally as well.
What makes McDonald’s problematic in the first place is the obvious health risks it carries from the products it serves. The Big Mac is one of McDonald’s best-known burgers, so well-known that it has a secret that not many people know about. It has toxic chemicals that are linked to infertility. In a study conducted by researchers at George Washington University, the Southwest Research Institute, Boston University, and Harvard University, many foods such as burgers, nuggets, and fries contained the phthalate DEHP, which is linked to causing reproductive problems such as infertility. There have also been more health-related issues when it comes to McDonald’s, such as childhood obesity. It’s no surprise that many parents have avoided taking their kids to McD’s because of how unhealthy the food is, but what some may not know is that the Happy Meal, which is targeted towards kids below the age of 10, contains a lot of ingredients that can change hormones in a child’s body, eventually leading to obesity and other diseases that affect their physical health.
Health risks aren’t the only thing that makes McDonald’s problematic, as there have also been lawsuits that involve not just discrimination but also an old lady. One of McD’s most known lawsuits is “Liebeck v. A McDonald’s case that involved an old lady who sued the restaurant after suffering third-degree burns when her hot coffee spilled all over her at the drive-thru. After this case, it was shown that the coffee was served at temperatures way too high for human consumption. This behavior was pretty problematic for the restaurant, so much so that they had to lower the temperature of their hot coffee.
People have also reported being discriminated against when going to McDonald’s. Some people who are visually impaired weren’t being served at the drive, causing problems for many people who are potentially legally blind or have vision problems. Another type of discrimination shown by some locations involved over 50 black owners suing the company for racial discrimination because the McDonald’s of that location did not want black-owned companies to achieve the levels of success that white companies achieved. Not only is causing health risks problematic, but causing safety risks to people can lead to a bad reputation. Many might see the brighter side of eating at McDonald’s, but it is important to see the dark side of the company because one may never know if they could be affected by it.
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