media consumption

Supersize Me

This is a film about an eating experiment conducted by Morgan Spurlock, winner of the Best Director Award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Mr. Spurlock was intrigued by case of two teenage girls who had sued McDonald's for causing their obesity. The case was originally thrown out of court, but the judge allowed the plaintiffs to amend and refile their suit, stating:

If plaintiffs can allege that McDonalds products’ intended use is to be eaten for every meal of every day, and that McDonalds is or should be aware that eating McDonalds' products for every meal of every day is unreasonably dangerous, they may be able to state a claim.

Mr. Spurlock decided to test this hypothesis. He weighed in, had his cholesterol and organ functions checked, his body fat percentage measured, and then with these baselines established, embarked on a month-long McDonald's diet. The rules were as follows:

1. No options: he could only eat what was available over the counter (water included!)
2. No supersizing unless offered
3. No excuses: he had to eat every item on the menu at least once

The results, well, they have to be seen to be believed. He astonished his dietician by gaining over ten pounds in the first week. By day 15, his doctors suggested he bend/break his rules a little. By day 21, they were begging him to stop the diet immediately; the results were well beyond their predictions and had them clearly quite startled.

In addition to tracking Mr. Spulrock's diet, the film features interviews with industry representatives, lawyers, school lunch workers, and the proverbial "man on the street." The most stunning revelation for me was to learn that many students today are being offered fast food lunches every day. School budgets often force schools to hire a food preparation service to provide lunches at low cost (and low nutritional value).

Since the release of this film, the lawsuit was again dismissed, but McDonald's has announced plans to scale back their Super Size options. If nothing else, maybe this movie will make you think twice next time you're in the fast food drive thru.

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