Unicef comes under attack for Big Mac funding deal

Unicef, the United Nations Children's Fund, has come under fire from children's advocates for concluding a fundraising alliance with the McDonald's chain of fast food restaurants.

A petition signed by delegates from the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action accuses Unicef of compromising its mission to promote good nutrition by associating with the giant American corporation.

A letter accompanying the petition said that news of the alliance had shocked participants at a colloquium on HIV and infant feeding in Tanzania. “Discussions here with Unicef staff from regional and country offices lead us to believe that staff outside Unicef headquarters were more than astonished to learn of Unicef's new alliance with McDonald's,” it said.

The letter, addressed to Unicef's executive director, Carol Bellamy, said the organisation had “entered into a partnership with a company known worldwide for its aggressive promotion of foods that contribute to ill health and poor nutrition both in industrialised and non-industrialised countries.” Such an agreement, it went on, “is contrary toUnicef's mission and is likely to undermine the World Health Organisation's fight against obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and other harmful conditions.”

The signatories also criticised a memorandum of understanding signed on 19 September by Unicef Nigeria with Coca-Cola Africa and speculated that Unicef was “opening the floodgates” to corporate sponsorship. Alfred Ironside of Unicef's world headquarters in New York said that Coca-Cola Africa offered to disseminate HIV prevention literature on behalf of Unicef and UNAIDS.

Patti Rundall of Baby Milk Action, a British charity promoting breast feeding, said that McDonald's has already tried to cash in on the publicity value of the Unicef link by running poster advertisements that show a baby sucking a hamburger bun in place of a mother's breast.

She added: “I think it's clear this initiative comes from the American headquarters of Unicef. Unicef people in Europe are mostly horribly embarrassed about it.”

McDonald's and Unicef plan a joint fundraising initiative called World Children's day on 20 November.

Soraya Bermejo of Unicef in Geneva said: “For several years, we've had a programme in the United States where children collect coins for Unicef in orange boxes at Hallowe'en. This year, McDonald's will help distribute these ‘trick or treat' boxes, which should enable us to increase the number of boxes used from five million to 20 million. The money raised will go entirely to polio eradication.

“Obviously, the extra boxes will greatly increase the funds raised on behalf of children in need around the world. Like all similar Unicef activities, this one will be reviewed once we have allowed it to run its full course.”

The BMJ was unable to obtain a comment from McDonald's.

The 1996 opening of the first McDonald's in New Delhi, India

Credit: AJIT KUMAR/AP