McDonald's is thinking of caving to the nanny-staters, and taking the trans-fats out of its french fries.
"I don't know that their customers are crying out for trans fat-free fries," said Bob Goldin, an exec with a U.S. restaurant consulting firm. "But with the ban in New York, and possibly Chicago, they're going to be forced to respond. They're behind the eight ball on this one."
Who cares about the customers? Overzealous municipal governments make these decisions. Don't you know that?
McDonald's has already responded to a combination of market forces and nanny-state pressure by offering healthy side items for meals, a variety of salads, and bottled water in each of its restaurants. Consumers have choices.
If you make the right choices, you can drop weight and cholesterol points by eating nothing but Mickey D's for 30 days, as Soso Whaley did. If you make the wrong choices, you can gain 30 lbs. and make a successful propaganda flick in which you blame your bad choices on the restaurant itself.
Or, you can walk the middle as most of us do, ordering salads from time to time, and enjoying a nice trans-fatty order of fries on occasion. I don't care what trans-fats do to me, all right? If you want to take the time to educate me about their evils, thus discouraging me from eating them, fine. Maybe that will work. But don't just rely on the strong arm of government to wrench them from my greasy little fingers.
Perhaps Ronald McDonald will follow in the same proud footsteps of another anti-nanny-state Ronald.
Here's hoping.