It's a little sad, but not really a shocker. Researchers at Packard Children's Hospital in California asked 63 children, ages three and five, to taste-test servings of hamburger, French fries, chicken nuggets, baby carrots, and milk. Here's the catch: Some of the servings were wrapped in containers with a McDonald's logo, and some were wrapped in containers with no logo. Sure, you can see this one coming a mile away. Most of the kids thought the food in the McDonald's containers tasted better than the identical food with no logo. According to a HealthDay report on, here's how McDonald's representatives reacted to the study: "McDonald's responded by saying that it is dealing with the problem." Problem? WHAT problem? McDonald's spends more than $1 billion on advertising in the U.S. every year. Seems like this study would be an indication they're getting a good return on investment. But I guess for public relations purposes they have to pretend that the success of their saturation marketing is some kind of "problem." Meanwhile, out in the real world, yeah, you could say it's a problem that kids are reacting like Pavlov's pups every time the Golden Arches come into view. But maybe we can make lemonade out of these lemons. Maybe, just maybe, if you put the McDonald's logo on, say, a salad with grilled salmon, maybe we just might have a solution to the childhood obesity crisis! Someone get on that, okay? Sources:
"Food Tastes Better With McDonald's Logo, Kids Say" Steven Reinberg, HealthDay News, 8/6/07, healthday.com | 
