McDonald’s pays $10m damages (misled Hindus and vegetarians by “wrongly describing” fries)

The Telegraph ^ | 5/22/05

[Libloather]

McDonald’s pays $10m damages

Silicon Valley (PTI): Fast food giant McDonald’s will pay $10 million to 24 groups, including the International American Gita Society, as part of a settlement of lawsuits.

McDonald’s has been charged with misleading Hindus and vegetarian consumers by “wrongly describing” its French fries, containing beef additive for flavouring, as vegetarian.

McDonald’s recently informed the Gita society that it is among the groups receiving the settlement money, the US-based non-profit organisation’s spokesperson, Ramananda Prasad, said.

“We are such a small organisation, and nobody supports us, the temples are busy with their own activities,” Prasad, who founded the society in 1984, said.

The society will get $50,000 from McDonald’s. The money will be used for developing a website on the Gita, especially a “Gita for children”, Prasad said.

A US court approved the 24 groups after a Seattle lawyer, Harish Bharti, filed a class lawsuit against the company, accusing it of deception in its claims of cooking fries in 100 per cent vegetable oil.

The maximum compensation of $1.4 million, or 14 per cent of the award, goes to Vegetarian Resource Group, followed by $1 million to the North American Vegetarian Society.

[Roots]

“wrongly describing” its French fries, containing beef additive for flavouring, as vegetarian.

10 mill is way too much, but if MickyD's is going to lie I think they should be sued... they shouldn't be sued, however, for making people fat, that's retarded.

[toothfairy86]

There are lots of products in the grocery stores, etc. that people assume are vegetarian and are not. Anytime you buy a product that is not prepared by yourself of individual ingredients, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, you run the risk of ingesting something that is "contaminated" by meat products.
Restaurants frequently cook meat products in the same deep fryer or griddle as non-meat products. If someone is that adamant about avoiding meat, they should only eat at vegetarian/vegan restaurants when they go out or pack their own food.

[FlJoePa]

"I have never eaten at a McDonald's in my life. Tell me, what am I missing out on?"

Well for one thing, Big Macs!

[Ukiapah Heep]

Great tag line. McDonald's isn't great stuff, but it does seem to tick off a lot of liberals.

[Ukiapah Heep]

Just a suggestion - Hindus ought to designate some marking for food that's acceptable to them, much the same as Kosher markings.

[ken21]

america is such a blessing for immigrants!

(/s)

[Sloth]

Not much.

[Reaganesque]

International American Gita Society

Gita? What's a Gita? A female Git, perhaps? Seems the most likely explanation.

[DannyTN]

Holy Cow!!!

McDonalds fed Hindu's beef additive!

It would be funnier if they fed Muslims pork!

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

McDonald's fries are the most OVERRATED food known to man.

Not when they were cooked in beef fat - best fries ever.

Plus when the food was sitting under heat lamps and packaged in styrofoam containers....that's when Mickey D's was the best until they succumbed to this PC nonsense to liberal special-interest groups.

[Cobra64]

I have never eaten at a McDonald's in my life. Tell me, what am I missing out on?

Me neither... so I can't help you. Those fast "food" joints don't serve food fit for a dog.

[JimSEA]

This is so much garbage. I live most of the year in Southeast Asia where there a a lot of Hindus, Jains and Buddhist vegitarians, all of whom accept responsibility for determining where to eat. Their "safe" restraunts are well known and advertized as vegitarian. The food is very good but does not immitate meat. If McD's misrepresented their french fries, they have some liability. However, what is a Hindu eating in a burger shop for in the first place. They sued McD's because that's where the money is.

[ntnychik]

As with anything liberal, this has nothing to do with fact and logic. This is just another episode in the art of the shakedown. Income redistribution in disguise.

[richmwill]

In a just world, the headline should have been missing the "0m"

[Petronski]

Tell me, what am I missing out on?

Indigestion and high blood pressure.

[epow]

10 mill is way too much, but if MickyD's is going to lie I think they should be sued

Mickey didn't lie, this all started back before Mickey switched to vegetable oil for it's frying vats. If the Hindus and vegan freaks had read the nutrition guide, which Mickey gives out for the asking and often posts on the walls of their burger joints, they would have known that beef fat was part of the cooking oil.

I don't bother asking for a nutrition guide when I eat at a restaurant because I don't have any hangups about not eating meat, or much of anything else except fish bait passed off as people food, IOW sushi. BUT if I was a Hindu and thought I would go straight to hell if I swallowed a few drops of animal fat I would certainly read the guide, or at least ask a server about it, at any restaurant where I ate.

[Darkwolf]

Exactly. Just amazing. These judges seem to think their duty is to "spread the wealth" and they don't seem to grasp that a civilization exists due to a system being put in place and agreed to, NOT by supporting some mythical all-encompassing life-enhancing body intended to give some of those rich-people bucks to "the poor".

[Dr. Marten]

" Let these Hindus and vegetarians learn how to read."

According to the article, McDonald's is the who misled them by stating that their fries were cooked in %100 vegetable oil. I'm sure that if McDonald's had displayed it otherwise, there wouldn't have been a problem.

False advertisement.

[Squantos]

So their new web site is called Gita-Life.com ?

[Doe Eyes]

Hindus ought to designate some marking for food that's acceptable to them

They don't eat cows, and McDonald's lied to them.