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As the world's largest restaurant chain, McDonald's is the target for criticism. Even though the majority interest in its foreign franchise locations are locally owned, the company is seen as a symbol of American domination of economic resources. Urban legends about the company and its food abound and it is often the target of unusual lawsuits.
Some franchises in the Middle East have been targets of arson and other acts of violence because the business represents, to the attackers, an invasion by American business and culture that they oppose based on a nationalist or Islamist ideology.
However, McDonalds has modified its products to cater for local tastes, not least in countries that have special dietary laws. In Muslim countries like Malaysia, bacon is not served in McDonalds burgers or in its breakfast menu, as pork is haram, or not permissible under Islamic dietary law. In Israel, the nature of kosher dietary laws, forbidding the mixture of meat and dairy products, means that cheeseburgers are not popular among Jewish customers; furthermore, all meat not prepared in a certain manner is considered unkosher by strict observers of the dietary laws. McDonalds has taken steps to cater to Jewish customers by opening a kosher McDonalds in Jerusalem and by offering a ' Passover Bun' for the eight-day period in which practicing Jews abstain from leavened bread. In India, the fact that Hinduism forbids the eating of beef has prompted McDonalds to look for alternatives, like lamb.
Soft drinks on offer also vary from country to country, with local brands available on tap alongside Coca Cola, Fanta, etc. For example, Irn Bru in Scotland and Guarana in Brazil are more popular in those countries than the leading international brands.
As the world's largest fast-food company, McDonald's has been the target of criticism for allegations of exploitation of entry-level workers, ecological damage caused by agricultural production and industrial processing of its products, selling unhealthy (non- nutritious) food, production of packaging waste, exploitative advertising (especially targeted at children), and contributing to suffering and exploitation of livestock. McDonald's historic tendancy towards promoting high calorie foods such as French fries has earned it the nickname "the starchy arches".
In the high profile McLibel Trial McDonald's took two anti-McDonald's campaigners, Helen Steel and Dave Morris, to court for a trial lasting two and a half years - the longest in English legal history. McDonald's won the case: however, many of the campaigners' criticisms of the company were found to be fair, creating a great deal of bad publicity for the company. The judge's summary can be read at this external link. For more information on this, see McLibel case.
McDonald's has also been criticised for its litigious and heavy-handed approach to preserving its image and copyrights - in one case suing a Scottish cafe owner called McDonald for infringement of the name McDonald's, even though the business in question was a family business dating back well over a century. In another case, Mcdonald's enjoined the creator of Ronald McDonald from performing as, or displaying the likeness of, the character in any form. McDonald's also replaced the performer who portrayed Ronald in the first three television ads ( Willard Scott, a former Bozo) which featured Ronald McDonald. In South Africa, however, McDonald's had to battle against the country's trademark laws, which stated that a registered trademark had to be used within a certain period of time. This resulted in a local company announcing plans to launch its own fast food chain using the McDonalds name, although the South African High Court eventually ruled in McDonalds' favor.
In June 2004 the UK's Private Eye reported that McDonald's was handing out meal vouchers, balloons, and toys to children in pediatric wards. This was especially controversial as the report was made within weeks of a British Government report stating that the present generation may be the first to die before their parents due to spiralling obesity in the British population.
In 2004, Morgan Spurlock's documentary Super Size Me produced negative publicity for McDonald's, with suggestions that McDonald's food was contributing heavily to the rash of obesity in American society. Subsequent to the showing of the film at the Sundance Film Festival, but before it's cinematic release, McDonald's phased out its Supersize meal option and began offering several healthier menu items though no link to the film was cited in this decision.
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