In an industry so diverse as hospitality, it is hard to pin one single ethical problem that fits the industry as a whole. However, when we dissect the industry and look at an individual aspect of it, in this case fast food, we can pick out some ethical problems that not only the companies are dealing with, but that the public has taken to acknowledging exists and label them as big issues.
Perhaps the most striking example of this is in the form of McDonald's Happy Meals. These meals seem to be good and make sense when you first look at them, cheaper prices and smaller portions for children, but when you look into the advertisement of these meals, you notice something jumps out. What could that one thing be? A toy.
What could be so wrong with having a toy in the meal though? It is simple, kids will do anything for a toy. They will scream, cry, beg and yell to have that small playful item that in reality costs 5 cents to make, but will make kids want to buy a 3 dollar meal. What is interesting to note however, people are fighting back. Silicon Valley banned the use of toys in fast food meals to try to stop any kind of ethical dilemma since it encourages children to eat much more unhealthy foods.
It will be interesting to see what come next though. Since the case in 2005 which required the food chain to pay the medical bills of two children due to childhood obesity, McDonald's has come under attack from all sorts of groups. They claim to be innocent since people choose to eat their food, but then the question of who is ultimately responsible for an individual's health is asked.
This is just one of many ethical dilemmas currently facing the fast food industry, and it will be interesting to see what else is brought in the the future and how the companies will handle the negative press that is always brought with these types of situations.
http://www.healthkey.com/sns-health-mcdonalds-happy-meal-lawsuits,0,5733170.story
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ReplyDeletePersonally, I do not believe the company is responsible for the health of these children. If parents are concerned about their child's eating habit they need to handle that in private. However, if it is the toy that makes these unhealthy meals so appealing to kids I have to possible solutions/ideas.
ReplyDelete1. A new company should start where serve healthy foods for the whole family and give away toys to make their meals attractive to small children. (The Anit-McDonald's)
2. If McDonal's (or any fast food company facing the same issue) is interested to settling this issue with certain families, the company should consider making healthy happy meals add a toy to that meal.
McDonald's has a few healthy options however, most do not target kid. Maybe they should look into that.
~Nia McCarthy
I too agree that the push to start kids on a healthier diet not only starts with the parents, but is entirely their responsibility. However, what matters in this case is what the majority of the public believes. Whether it is right or wrong, the majority belief is the one McDonald's and other fast food companies need to cater to.
ReplyDeleteThis is similar to the case study we discussed in class about the glue company. Although it was not at all their fault, the company that manufactured the glue was the one getting blamed. They could point fingers all they want, but in the end of the day they were the ones losing profit.
--Bryan Brodek