CONSUMER AFFAIRS
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
McDonald’s May Ban Smoking: McDonald’s Corp., the world’s largest restaurant operator, may prohibit smoking in its nearly 9,000 U.S. outlets, a move that anti-tobacco activists see as a potential milestone in their efforts to eliminate smoking from public places. McDonald’s executives have met with McDonald’s franchisees to discuss ways to institute a smoking ban, company sources said. Anti-smoking activists said persuading McDonald’s to ban smoking could set off a chain reaction. “McDonald’s is the biggest, and they are the trendsetter,” said John Banzhaf, executive director of Action on Smoking and Health, a Washington-based anti-smoking organization.
