Three years ago McDonald's stock had tumbled 56% in 10 months. The company reported it first quarterly loss and sales in its biggest market, the good old USA, were not growing and were in some cases loosing ground.
Not a pretty picture for a company. And as you know, desperate times call for desperate measures. McDonald's desperate move: the "Dollar Menu." The Dollar Menu brought 36 consecutive months of sales growth to all McDonald's locations open at least a year. Revenue increased by 33% and its stock rocketed up 170%.
Why?
McDonald's is helping low-income individuals save money. The Dollar Menu has been explicitly marketed to teenagers, young adults and minorities - all who just happen to be watching their wallets. And as far as the amount of food you get for $1. It's a good deal.
So why do I consider this a desperate measure?
In terms of looking at how many nutrients you're getting for a dollar, it's the least economical choice for eating. At least that's what Connie Schneider, a nutrition advisor for Fresno County in California says and just about any nutrionist anywhere will tell you fast food like McDonald's is one of the worst things in the American diet.
It's high in calories and trans fats, lacks fiber, has lots of added sugars and procesessed carbohydrates all add up to a meal that's largely devoid of the vital nutrients the body and mind need to function well.
Personally, I think this quality of food is a sad choice to market to a group of low income customers who are already plagued with a particularly high incidence of obesity and its related health problems. But hey, Bill Lamar, the chief marketing officer for McDonald's United States business says "We're proud of the choices we offer customers."
Perhaps he's talking about the more healthy eating options at McDonald's, but I don't know how you can be "proud" to serve the Dollar Menu to anyone, especially in a country who's suffering immensely from obesity and its related diseases.
Just to give an example, we loose over 1000 human beings every single day in the US because of obesity. Yes that's right over 1000 of our fellow Americans die every day, largely it's because of our American diet and lifestyle. Forget about the thousands who've died in Iraq. At least they died for a reason, a purpose and vision - whether you agree with it or not is another story, but our soldiers died for a reason. The 1000+ fellow Americans that will die to day because of obesity and its related diseases, Why did they die? Did they die because of the glorious taste of a double quarter pounder with cheese, french fries and a soda?
But as Bill Lamar says, "People can make the decisions about how to eat for themselves." He's both right and wrong. Yes everyone has some degree of freedom to chose. However, if they don't have much money, habitually eat convenience foods or "fast" foods and are largely unaware of their eating choices and the following consequences, the scope of freedom to choose starts to look a lot like the Dollar Menu.
Now I'm not one to point at a company and paint it as an evil entity that's the sole cause of all the problems in the world. But I'm also not one to point only at the consumer and say, they have their own autonomy must take complete responsibility for their decisions.
Companies need to have a code of ethics and a sense of moral responsibility that includes but goes beyond the bottom line of profits. Personally, I have a slanted bias against McDonald's because I don't know how they can actively market nutrient deficient foods to people in compromised positions. That's just me though.
Fortunately I work for a company that holds a high standard of ethical responsibility to its customers.
I've been apart of a beautifully difficult path of redefining fast food. We've created Full Strength, a premium nutrition shake that is a "fast performance food." It's a food that's both highly affordable (under $4 per serving) and it turns the tables on conventional forms of fast food.
Instead of getting less nutrients in more food (the Dollar Menu is just one example) Full Strength has successfully engineered the nutrition shake to deliver more nutrients in less calories that fuels your body and mind for longer than just about any other meal you can find.
Considering this nutrition shake costs less than $4 yet delivers more nutrients than an intelligently prepared $12 meal comprised of lean chicken breast, steamed broccoli and brown rice this might just be the most economical form of fueling your body and mind on earth.
Perhaps the conventional fast food companies will learn a few things from us, deliver food that ultimately serves the health, well being and performance of their customers with a taste that can rival the most delicious foods. Perhaps then these companies wouldn't have to aggressively market their food to young consumers in disadvantaged positions. Why? Because in a few decades their once customers won't be hospitalized or dead, instead they'll be alive, healthy and strong living on your service instead of dying from it.
NYTimes Article on McDonalds HERE
Learn more about Full Strength HERE
Learn about Full Strength & How it stacks up against the healthiest of meals HERE
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