Wednesday, January 29

To follow up on Rosie's blog of January 22nd, regarding McDonald's legal victory over a 19-year-old girl who blamed the chain for her obesity, I've just read a thoughtful account in The Toronto Star arguing the story ain't over yet. Apparently the judge in the case (aptly named Judge Sweet) has given the plaintiffs 30 days to tweak their complaint. If they can prove "that McDonald's products have been so altered that their unhealthy attributes are now outside the ken of the average reasonable consumer," (and how hard will that be?) they might just win. In principle, I think it's misguided to blame weight gain on the food rather than the food consumer, but with the majority of Americans still getting their daily ration from what Judge Sweet called "a McFrankenstein creation of various elements," how else are you going to regulate a megachain's version of "food"?