Scores of local and national teacher's groups across America have slammed McDonald's over their McTeacher's Night initiative.
The program acts as a fund-raising opportunity where teachers, students, parents, and their friends volunteer to work at their local McDonald's branch for one night. A percentage of the sales made during the event are donated to the school; which it can then spend on whatever academic or extra-curricular need it may have.
Many have criticized the whole concept and are calling for the fast-food giant to put an end to it. Consumerist has just published a copy of the letter sent by the Teacher's groups to McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook.
It opens by saying, "It is wrong to enlist teachers to sell kids on a brand like McDonald's whose core products are burgers, fries, and soda."
The letter continues, saying that constant exposure to fast food may riddle children with diet-related diseases like Obesity and Diabetes for the rest of their lives.
"We are in the midst of the largest preventable health crisis in the U.S., one that is spreading throughout the world, and that increasingly affects children. If this trend is not reversed, many children will be burdened with diet-related diseases like obesity and Type 2 diabetes, affecting their heath for life." it warns.
It then proceeds to brand McTeacher's Nights as exploitative.
"It is wholly inappropriate for McDonald's to exploit cash-strapped schools to market its junk food brand, while miring its workers in poverty, effectively hollowing out the tax base for our schools," said Jesse Sharkey, Vice President of the Chicago Teachers Union, in the letter.
To see the whole statement check out Consumerist.
Back in September, we reported on the effects of fast food on children. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that 12% of the calories consumed by American kids come from fast food.
