McDonald’s will give our grandkids a discount if they buy their food

McDonald’s is one of the largest fast food companies in the world, and for years they have caught the attention of young children with their brightly coloured Happy Meals and playgrounds. But now, as their year-on-year profits slide, have they gone to new lows?

In Mildura, a McDonald’s restaurant has come under fire for offering a discount for schools who ordered catering. According to a letter obtained by The New Daily, McDonald’s will “give your school a nine per cent cash rebate on your order to do with as you wish!” said the letter. They also promised free cordial, cups and ice for school events.

Not surprisingly, health groups and parents have been outraged by this tactic to incentivise school children to eat the junk food. It is a disturbing trend that shows the vulnerable position our grandchildren are in when their school is close to McDonald’s and other fast food outlets. As they get older, what will they do when they can freely walk in with their own money? Should we be stopping these habits from forming now?

For years, McDonald’s has made no secret of its desire to have children become the customer of the future. One of our readers, who wishes to remain anonymous, had a daughter who worked at McDonald’s and she said that while she was training new employees, she had to remind them that ‘kids are the star’ and you it  make sure they feel welcomed by giving them special attention and getting down to their eye level. This was because they were the perceived customer of the future and McDonald’s wanted to ensure they had fond memories of the restaurant. Does this disturb you at all or is it all a part of the industry?

McDonald’s finds a way to get into our grandchildren’s eye line very early on in their lives, aside from ads and their peers. McDonald’s has had ties to Little Athletics for decades, which can intake children as young as 5. The Parent’s Jury in Mildura told The New Daily that the debated about foods in schools is not just about McDonald’s and anything a school endorses normalises those foods for children. Do you agree?

Here is part of the letter that the schools around the Sunraysia restaurant were sent:

Source: New Daily

What do you think about McDonald’s selling food to your grandchildren? Do you think they should be marketing to children or should there be a ban? What do you do to educate your grandkids about fast food?