Only McDonald's will be allowed to serve French Fries at the Olympics

McDonald's has arm twisted the Olympics to ban all other restaurants from selling French fries, unless it's served with fish.

This demand will make life difficult for hundreds of restaurants and food retailers who would otherwise serve fries with many popular dishes.

Olympic decision makers have banned all 800 food retailers at the 40 Games venues across Britain from serving French fries because of 'sponsorship obligations.'

The memo reads: 'Due to sponsorship obligations with McDonalds, Locog have instructed the catering team they are no longer allowed to serve chips on their own anywhere within the Olympic park.

'The only loophole to this is if it is served with fish.'

'Please understand this is not the decision of the staff serving up your meals, who given the choice would gladly give it you however they are not allowed to.

'This is being escalated through to the directors of L2012C and Locog and the IOC. 

'Please do not give the staff grief; this will only lead to us removing fish and chips completely.

'Everyone has a right to work in a none abusive environment.'

 

(Above photo, McDonald's, yards from Olympic stadium)

But the ban on fries means visitors from all over the world will be not be enjoying British favourites, including sauage and chips, gammon, egg and chips, lasgane and chips, steak and chips and chicken and chips.

French Fries will only be allowed to be sold with fish, saving at least one British classic.

Olympics advertising fast food make health experts worry

The Vancouver Winter Olympics were not politically correct and that makes health experts worry.

The health experts fret that we’ll remember some of those athletes eating burgers and fries and Egg McMuffins.
Figure skater Patrick Chan, speed skater Cindy Klassen and snowboarders Crispin Lipscomb of Edmonton and Brad Martin were among the athletes who talked about their love of fast food in McDonald’s restaurant ads.
With all the eating disorders the experts are talking about, the winter Olympics have gone and made things worse.
“I think it really messes up the whole clear public-health messages we’re trying to get out there,” says the University of Alberta assistant professor of physical education and recreation, whose research focuses on health promotion.
“If you’re not somebody who thinks about exercise or eating healthy a lot of the time ... seeing these Olympians, who are absolutely physically amazing, and seeing them tied to some fast-food restaurant, without even thinking about it, you start making associations.”

It sends the message that it doesn’t really matter what you eat as long as you exercise, and it’s hammered home by the sheer volume of ads that overwhelm those promoting healthy foods.

Dr. Peter Nieman of the Pediatric Weight Clinic in Calgary says he was disappointed with the message the McDonald’s ads send.
“Ideally these ads shouldn’t be there, but they’re there because McDonald’s provides money.
“It absolutely does not help at all (in the fight to stem obesity), but it’s a free society and people are allowed to do these ads.”
“If you can get maybe like a Wayne Gretzky to say ‘eat more fruits and vegetables,’ that would be great. It could be very powerful, especially with children, because the messenger is so important,” Nieman says.
Until that day, Berry says, it’s important for people to know that competitive athletes “eat quite carefully, so I seriously doubt these people are eating McDonald’s or any fast food regularly.”



In related good news: McDonald's announced the renewal of its worldwide Olympic Partnership through the 2012 Games, continuing the company's long-standing commitment to the Olympic Movement and the athletes who compete in the world's premiere sporting event.