Joint press statement: Why are South African classrooms and children becoming fast food billboards?

As civil society organisations committed to food justice, children’s health and education rights, we are alarmed by the recent handover of McDonald’s-branded ‘Mi Desk’ desks to two Cape Town schools, facilitated by the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube. This follows similar corporate-branded desk donations from Old Mutual and Hollywood Bets. We are concerned about this disturbing trend, which must end now.

The McDonald’s donation of desks to schools should not be seen as charity. It is junk food marketing targeting vulnerable children. At a time when South Africa faces a compounding crisis of malnutrition, obesity, and a non-communicable disease epidemic, allowing fast food branding into schools is grossly irresponsible and negligent. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) should be safeguarding children’s health, not exposing them to the marketing of high-fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) foods under the guise of corporate donations. Additionally, McDonald’s is using the bodies of children as unpaid, walking billboards for the junk food market. By slapping its logo on the MiDesk, it ensures that its brand is paraded through communities, at no cost, while profiting from the very eating habits that harm children’s health. 

Read the full press statement here. 

For media enquiries please contact:

• Zukiswa Zimela | HEALA | zukiswa@heala.org | 0745210652
• Ayanda Sishi-Wigzell | Equal Education | ayanda@equaleducation.org.za | 0768793017
• Dalli Weyers | IEJ | dalli.weyers@iej.org.za | 0824602093