McDonald's is back with supersized sodas


McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) has done much to bolster its reputation in the wake of media scandals led by the hit documentary 'Supersize Me.' It has launched wellness initiatives and created healthier menu options. The stock price has responded. But now supersized sodas are back, with a 42-ounce drink the company is calling "Hugo." The New York Times calls it "Tubbo" which, at over 400-calories for a regular soda, seems appropriate.

The company defends the product by saying that super-sized sodas are back by popular demand and that people are thirstier during the summer. But here's why I'm not buying it: Any doctor would tell you that drinking 42-ounces of soda is extremely unhealthy, and it's wrong for a company to market a product that is, by definition, unhealthy for anyone.

The Times also points out that "Making matters worse, Hugo ads are available in several languages, making sure that minorities -- who are disproportionately affected by the obesity epidemic -- are aware of the budget beverage."

A few months ago, I wrote about "Hungry-Man's thousand-calorie breakfast, which contains 231 percent of the recommended daily value for cholesterol in one serving. So the recommendation is that you consumer 2.3 times as much cholesterol at breakfast as you should during that entire day. No one should eat this product, and companies shouldn't market products that are by definition bad for you."

The same applies to McDonald's. It's socially irresponsible to sell a product that is hazardous to people's health in the serving size it is marketed at.

Reader Comments (Page 5 of 22)

Symbol Lookup
IndexesChangePrice
DJIA+135.1012,504.48
NASDAQ+68.422,847.21
S&P 500+20.771,315.99

Last updated: May 22, 2012: 04:53 AM

Hot Stocks

General Electric

19.12+0.17(+0.90)

Alcoa

8.60+0.17(+2.02)

Apple Inc

561.28+30.90(+5.83)

Google Inc 'A'

614.11+13.71(+2.28)

Bank of America

6.83-0.19(-2.71)

Wal-Mart Stores

63.04+0.61(+0.98)

Exxon Mobil Corp

82.04+0.57(+0.70)

Ford

10.20+0.19(+1.90)

Citigroup

26.25+0.24(+0.92)

IBM

197.76+1.88(+0.96)

Yahoo

15.58+0.16(+1.04)

Starbucks

53.70+2.17(+4.21)

Microsoft

29.75+0.48(+1.64)

Home Depot

47.61+0.56(+1.19)

DailyFinance Headlines

Benzinga Headlines

TheFlyOnTheWall.com Headlines

    BioHealth Investor Headlines

    WalletPop Headlines

    DailyFinance BlackBerry App

    My Portfolios

    Track your stocks here!

    Find out why more people track their portfolios on AOL Money & Finance then anywhere else.

    BloggingStocks Partners

    More from AOL Money & Finance

    BioHealth Investor Headlines

    Page Loaded in 1337676788489 ms.