Over 11,000 Australians have urged youth sporting association, Little Athletics, to drop McDonald's as a sponsor via Change.org. The petition claims the fast food giant's involvement is merely a means to market junk food to children.
The petition, started this month by Victorian mother Danielle O'Brien, urges Little Athletics to ditch McDonald's as a sponsor. She claims the two brands are in no way related and that McDonald's is using its position to market its "unhealthy and fattening" foods to children. It currently has 11,136 signatures and has a goal of 15,000.
O'Brien is not McDonald's biggest fan. Her petition history shows she has signed several anti-McDonald's petitions, including one urging Basketball Victoria to also ditch McDonald's as a sponsor.
Launching the Little Athletics petition she wrote: "In a time of
unprecedented and skyrocketing child obesity, junk food corporations
continue to target our children under the guise of community
participation.
"This manipulative marketing technique is a deliberate
and meticulously planned attempt to peddle their unhealthy and
fattening foods to our children, trying in the association of
exercise, health and fun with their products which are in actuality
the antithesis of healthy living."
O'Brien argued Little Athletics collateral is rife with McDonald's marketing, including its website and uniforms. "Allowing McDonald's to sponsor Little Athletics goes against everything it's meant to stand for. As a parent, I'm saying enough is enough to McDonald's targeting our kids like this," she said.
But McDonald's doesn't agree. It told AdNews: "The main purpose of our support is to add value to the community and to encourage kids to be active and embrace balanced lifestyles. We encourage children to ‘never stop playing’ by contributing to sporting organisations that develop kids’ sports skills and provide opportunities for them to play."
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