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Fast food, sugary drinks...they’re under attack these days. But should the compa

ID: 433117 • Letter: F

Question

Fast food, sugary drinks...they’re under attack these days. But should the companies that make and sell them be blamed for societal problems with obesity and unhealthy habits? What about those who choose to consume them? Are lawsuits like the one filed against McDonald’s justified? If you were CEO of McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Coca Cola, or PepsiCo, what would worry you about such issues? What steps could you take to manage perceptions of your company while still meeting customer demands for tasty drinks and fast foods? Fast food, sugary drinks...they’re under attack these days. But should the companies that make and sell them be blamed for societal problems with obesity and unhealthy habits? What about those who choose to consume them? Are lawsuits like the one filed against McDonald’s justified? If you were CEO of McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Coca Cola, or PepsiCo, what would worry you about such issues? What steps could you take to manage perceptions of your company while still meeting customer demands for tasty drinks and fast foods?

Explanation / Answer

The lawsuits like the one against McDonals is not justified from CEO's point of view as they never advertise the products being healthy, but they are advertised based on their taste. Customers go to McDonalds knowing very well what they will be served, hence they are very much aware of the amount of calories they will be consuming.

Still I would worry about these lawsuits as they tarnish the image of company in front of customers and the company may lose some customers who are swayed by the points made in the lawsuit due to the media coverage. Companies then need to spend a lot to clean their image and recapture the market.

Some of the steps that could be taken are:

1. Putting labels on products like burger mentioning the nutritional content of the burger so that customers are aware of how much calories they are putting into their mouth

2. Coming up with new products like Coca Cola came up with Diet Coke to meet the increasing demand of calorie free drinks in the market

3. Investing in CSR initiatives to encourage people to live a healthy lifestyle like a campaign to cycle to office from home