By Matthew Laurrie
Features Editor
The golden arches are arguably one of the most adored and recognizable symbols in the fast food industry, but not everyone is lovin’ it at McDonald’s these days.
In April 2011, a man in Dearborn Heights, Mich. sued McDonald’s and one of its franchise owners – Finley’s Management Company – for falsely advertising products as halal – food that adheres to dietary laws of the Islamic faith. Ahmed Ahmed filed a lawsuit after learning the company dished out non-halal food when its supply of halal food had run out, according to a Jan. 22 Associated Press article.
At first, I believed this story to be a bit absurd – call me crazy, but I wouldn’t exactly classify McDonald’s as the epitome of religious dietary diversity. But after learning this particular McDonald’s is located in an area with a large Muslim population, I completely changed my order. It’s only logical this establishment caters to the needs of its regional consumers, and that simply wasn’t the case.
If the food was advertised as meeting the necessary religious standards, then it should do just that. After all, this is one of only two McDonald’s in the United States that serves halal food. Here’s a capital thought – why doesn’t McDonald’s make a better attempt to ensure its employees adhere to the “carefully designed system for preparing and serving halal” that its policy touts? It doesn’t take a McBrainiac to figure that one out.
McDonald’s and Finley’s Management Company have recently reached a tentative agreement in which they will dish out approximately $700,000 in order to make up for negligently selling the wrong food. The funds will be appropriated among a variety of individuals and institutions that practice or support the Islamic faith.
According to the AP article, the lawsuit will penalize the company for deceitfully selling the non-halal products during an eight-year span of time. This was not a one-time occurrence; the false advertising took place at this particular establishment since 2005. What a disgrace. Ronald McDonald is rolling over in the ball pit of a germ-infested McDonald’s playground as we speak.
While I completely agree with the end result of the settlement, I truly hope this occurrence prompts consumers to be more vigilant of how trusting they are when it comes to other people preparing their food, especially when the customers must follow such strict dietary guidelines.
I was born in the Roman Catholic faith, and despite the holy obligation to forgo meat on Fridays during the season of Lent, I’ve been known to possibly slip up and sneak a double cheeseburger or three while God isn’t looking.
However, this is my own fault – not McDonald’s. In Ahmed’s case, the company blatantly ignored the needs of its customer, thus infringing upon his religious beliefs.
This isn’t the first time McDonald’s has found itself in hot oil with a religious group. In 2002, the company donated $10 million to Hindu groups after mislabeling French fries and hash browns as vegetarian, according to the same article. The oil used to fry the products actually contained traces of beef for flavoring purposes. It’s unfortunate that there are more unhappy meals passing through drive-thru windows than one would hope.
I seriously urge McDonald’s to see these instances as a call to wake up and smell the premium roast coffee. While I applaud the company for reaching generous monetary settlements to compensate for its mistakes, I hope it will avoid these errors in the future and be sensitive to its eclectic groups of consumers.
There are two sides to every burger, and in this case I’m glad the patty landed on the side of justice.
