"Obesity is a symptom of energy imbalance," said Director of Worldwide Nutrition for McDonald's, Dr. Cathy Kapica, in a presentation to ASU East students Tuesday, "so we asked ourselves, 'How do we get people to move?' "
In April 2003 McDonald's launched a worldwide initiative to help families be more active. The program focuses on educating people about menu choice and physical activity.
"This is not an advertising campaign, but a philosophy," Kapica said.
"The weights [of individuals] have gone up in the last 100 years," she added. "We have become a more sedentary society."
McDonald's recently decided to create a Global Advisory Council comprised of 16 leaders in nutrition, education and fitness to guide the company in its effort.
The company decided one solution to get people motivated to walk more was to put pedometers in adult happy meals.
McDonald's Web site now offers a "Bag a Meal" feature that allows people to create their own meal and calculate nutritional content down to the last pickle.
"People in the nutrition profession are skeptical about big fast food chains such as McDonald's," said nutrition graduate teaching assistant Jillian Block. She is currently doing research on 'media reporting on nutrition' for Jeff Hampl, an associate professor of nutrition at the east campus.
"I think it was admirable for McDonald's to come out here," Block added. "People have to remember that McDonald's is doing things they don't have to."
Guy Le Masurier, a graduate teaching assistant in exercise and wellness at the east campus, asked whether the "supersize" portions McDonald's offers contradict the new health-conscious philosophy.
Kapica said that only five percent of orders placed are "supersized." She added that it is the responsibility of individuals to find a sense of moderation in their diets.
When asked about a new documentary currently playing in the Sundance Film Festival called "Supersize Me," in which a man eats nothing but McDonald's for 30 days and gains about 30 pounds, Kapica said, "it has nothing to do with McDonald's. That was a movie about gluttony and being irresponsible."
Reach the reporter at erika.camardella@asu.edu.
