McDonald's Cleans Up Its Act--In the U.K.

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Photo by Josh Friedman Luxury Travel/Flickr CC


A colleague brought back a couple of brochures she picked up at a McDonald's in London. They make interesting reading, especially the parts about genetically-modified (GM) ingredients.

"The Simple Facts About Our Food" (printed April 2007) says:

The feed used for rearing our chickens is not genetically modified and is free from antibiotic growth promoters... We know consumers in the U.K. often express concern about GM products or ingredients and therefore we can reassure you that we do not use any GM products or ingredients containing GM material in our food.

"That's What Makes McDonald's" (2008) says:

Our free range eggs...come from hens fed on a non-GM diet and are free from artificial colorants...We'd like to reassure you that we don't use any GM products or ingredients containing GM material in our food.

Have questions? McDonald's U.K. answers them (sort of).

GM labeling (or non-GM) is a no-brainer. If McDonald's can do it in the U.K., it can do it here. And so can all other food makers. You don't have to decide whether GM is good, bad, or indifferent to want it labeled. Labeling would reduce suspicion, if nothing else.

And I wonder how those GM Nutrageous candy bars are doing in the U.K.

Marion Nestle is a professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. She is the author of Food Politics, Safe Food, What to Eat, and Pet Food Politics.