McDonald's (Oak Brook, Ill.) supersize demise (announced in early March and expected to eliminate the extra-large fries and beverages from the chain's menus by 2005) may have garnered the chain unwanted attention. The Voices column in the March 8 Lancaster New Era (Lancaster, Pa.) performed its own evaluation of supersized portions of French fries versus the smaller “large” option. After comparing the two, the writer found the supersize version had two more fries. How these results were derived was not explained clearly, but it is difficult to imagine equally sized and cut fries in each box, so the counting option seems inappropriate. Maybe the writer stretched them end-to-end? Regardless, the obviously scientific comparison attempted to demonstrate the nutritional similarities of the two sizes. Meanwhile, according to the McDonald's website, the supersizes weigh in with 70 more calories, 3g more of fat, 9g of extra carbohydrates and 40mg more sodium.
On another front, conspiracy theorists point to the success of “Super Size Me” at this year's Sundance Film Festival as one inspiration for the fast food giant to drop the enlarged portions. The movie's director lived on nothing but McDonald's fare for an entire month and, “packed on the pounds, watched his cholesterol soar and became depressed,” according to his website. The argument is that McDonald's is trying preemptively to assuage any criticisms resulting from the movie's wide release (expected on May 7).