Low Fat Advocate Grills Big Macs in Ad Campaign

A businessman who lobbies against heart-threatening foods today began an advertising campaign against McDonald’s Corp. and other fast-food outlets that he says use too many highly saturated fats in their menus.

McDonald’s quickly reacted with outrage, calling the newspaper advertisements “reckless” and at least partly inaccurate.

Full-page ads appeared today in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today and at least 10 other major newspapers. They proclaim at one point: “McDonald’s, Your Hamburgers Have Too Much Fat!”

Phil Sokolof, an Omaha multimillionaire who has waged a one-man campaign against highly saturated fats in processed foods, called on McDonald’s and other restaurants to reduce the fat content of their hamburger meat by 10%.

About five newspapers declined to run the ad, Sokolof said in an interview. The ad singles out McDonald’s because it is the industry leader, but Burger King and Wendy’s also use too much fat, he said.

“I think this kind of advertising is sensational, ridiculous, and I think it’s reckless,” McDonald’s Senior Vice President Dick Starmann said from Oak Brook, Ill.

“I’m surprised that McDonald’s is singled out because over the years we are the ones who have led the way in reducing fats in our menus,” he said. “We think we have the leanest hamburger meat available today.”

Sokolof, 67, blames high cholesterol for a near-fatal heart attack he suffered 24 years ago. He started the National Heart Savers Assn. in 1985 and supports it largely through his own contributions.

Today’s advertisement states that a McDonald’s Big Mac with french fries contains 25 grams of saturated fat while a lean beef sandwich has only 3 grams of saturated fat.

“McDonald’s cook their french fries in beef tallow,” the ad says. “Many fast food chains and a large percent of restaurants cook french fries with heart healthy oils.”

Starmann said the Big Mac has less saturated fat in it than the ad claimed. A Big Mac with french fries contains about 19 grams of saturated fat, he said. McDonald’s uses a combination of beef tallow and vegetable shortening to cook its fries and is testing cholesterol-free vegetable shortening that would eliminate beef tallow, he said.