New From McDonald's:The McAfrika Burger

[zzyzzx]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0824-05.htm

New From McDonald's:
The McAfrika Burger (Don't Tell the 12m Starving)

McDonald's has been accused of extreme insensitivity after releasing a new sandwich called the "McAfrika" in Norway, one of the world's richest countries, at a time when 12 million people are facing starvation in southern Africa.

This is the promotion that's left aid organizations in Norway seeing red... and McDonald's officials red-faced.



The launch of the new hamburger has infuriated the Norwegian equivalent of Christian Aid and the Norwegian Red Cross and generated a storm of bad publicity for the American fast-food giant.

The concoction of beef, cheese, tomatoes and salad in a pita-style sandwich is said to be based upon an authentic African recipe and is being sold to Norwegian consumers for about £2.80 ($4.20 US).

But aid agencies trying to raise funds to stave off a famine in southern Africa say that the timing of the McAfrika marketing campaign is insensitive, crass and ill-considered and have demanded remedial action from McDonald's.

"It's inappropriate and distasteful to launch a hamburger called McAfrika when large portions of southern Africa are on the verge of starvation," Linn Aas-Hansen of Norwegian Church Aid told the newspaper Aftenposten.

Protesting members of the aid group have been doling out "catastrophe crackers" - the protein-rich biscuits given to starving people in Africa - to fast-food lovers outside the firm's restaurants in Oslo.

"Twelve million people are suffering from starvation in countries such as Malawi and Zimbabwe; it is one of the biggest humanitarian disasters we have ever seen. We have nothing against McDonald's but the timing of this is insensitive," said Gunstein Instesjord, a senior policy advisor at Norwegian Church Aid.

"McDonald's must see that the launch has not been successful."

Aware that it has a public relations embarrassment on its hands, McDonald's Norway has been quick to launch a damage limitation exercise, making conciliatory noises in the Norwegian media.

Margaret Brusletto, a spokeswoman for the company, said she was sorry the name of the product had offended many.

"That wasn't our intention," she told Aftenposten. "We acknowledge that we have chosen an unfortunate time to launch this new product."

Faced with mounting protest about the new McAfrika, she initially said the company would "consider" a request to share proceeds from its sales with aid agencies but a meeting with the Norwegian Red Cross and others produced no such agreement.

Nor has McDonald's agreed to withdraw the offending product from sale.

But it has offered to allow aid agencies to leave collection boxes and fundraising posters in its Norwegian restaurants - but only in those selling McAfrika burgers and only for as long as the "special promotional burger" remains on sale.

In a statement issued to the Guardian from its UK head office in East Finchley yesterday, McDonald's said: "All of the involved parties are happy with this solution. We hope this will put a wider focus on the important job that these organizations are doing, and McDonald's in Norway is pleased to be able to support this."

[mrtristan]

Politically correct fever is spreading across the globe! I guess I better not use the word "Africa" in my daily speech, because people are starving there.

[therick]

the best McDonald's story ever was the one a year or two ago when some stores in India were destroyed when the public discovered that the McDonalds there were still using animal fat to fry those wonderful fries-and they rioted, destroying some stores...amazing that a company so large can screw up so badly so often...

[nfl2k2]

i stopped going to mcdonalds after reading horror stories of employees spitting, urinating, and doing gross shit to peoples food. actually i dont even go to fast food restaurants anymore...

[therick]

ditto, ditto, I stopped going because americans have the fattest asses in the world!!!!!!

[zzyzzx]

I would have to think that a real McArfika burger would have files swarming around it.

[Tommyknocker]

Need to work on that dyslexia Zzyzzx, especially if you plan to voice your opinion in writing. Starvation is not funny, my friend, try not to make it so.

[MOVIEGEEK]

As the late Sam Kinison once said"Don't send starving people food..send
them U-Hauls'(moving trucks)".
God helps those who help themselves.

[Tommyknocker]

And He also said to love thy neighbor as thyself.

[zzyzzx]

I would also have to think that the real McAfrika burger consist entirely of air or if a real burger be made of gazelle meat.

[sullen]

I can't believe someone didn't suggest new products...like the McChina, or the McItaly, or possibly the McMick from Ireland. Just think...a whole line of McSandwiches that offend every country possible. We already have the Big Mac which we could rename the McFat Ass to truly represent what Tom Brokaw keeps telling me through the mind control he has that America is the "largest" nation ever.

[tenders]

companies like Mc D's only give a shit about their profits. you think they would have at least sent a couple of tons of big macs to africa?

[MovieStar411]

Much like everyone else here, I don't care for McD's or any other fast food place but come on. The burger was named for the area of the world the receipe originated from. If it had been named something else, we might have had the Africa rights groups from Norway screeming about how it "takes away from Africa's culture" to not credit it with the creation.

And this makes no sense what so ever...

Protesting members of the aid group have been doling out "catastrophe crackers" - the protein-rich biscuits given to starving people in Africa - to fast-food lovers outside the firm's restaurants in Oslo.

If they are so worried about the starving people in Africa, then why give away the 'food' they made to give the starving? I am sure everyone that donated money or time to their organization is very happy that their hard earned money is going to feed the fast food masses in Norway.

As much as I hate fast food places, I hate coalition groups more. They spend more time and money complaining about things than trying to fix them.

[zzyzzx]

A couple quick updates:

In a recent poll, Africans were asked how they felt about McDonalds Norway introducing the McAfrika burger. Here are the results:

75% wanted to know how they could get one.
15% wanted to know if they could get fries with it.
8% wanted to know if they could get a super-sized McAfrika meal deal.
2% wanted to know how to get to Norway.

Also, when asked how they came up with McAfrika burger for a product that was basically a normal cheeseburger on pita bread, McDonalds executives replied that they were originally going to call it the McTurkey burger, but thought the reference to the country Turkey might get confuse customers who were expecting a burger made from Turkey. The second option was to call it the McGreece burger, but that was discarded because company executives were concerned it would send the wrong message.

[Tommyknocker]

Could a moderator please lock the thread? It is making me nauseous with the sick attempts at humor for starvation and McDonald's insensitive nature.

[mrtristan]

I still don't see what the problem is. There are people starving in Africa. I don't find this funny in any way. However, that is totally unrelated to the name of the sandwich, in Norway. I don't understand what is so offensive.

We recently bombed the crap out of Afghanistan. Does that mean that the name of the Afghan Hound should be changed?

[themichael]

It is making me nauseous with the sick attempts at humor....

It never ceases to amaze me that people who are upset by the action of others in clearly defined areas where they KNOW these actions happen still have to go there and bitch about being upset.


In the US we can't joke/talk/think about anything that might upset those who are sensitive or in a minority. Well I'm in a minority, I like offensive jokes, crude humor, sexual commentary, et al. So who should I sue now?

[zzyzzx]