How Greedy McDonald's Became the Most Effective Poverty-fighter
Matthew Lau
Matthew Lau: It's entirely possible that the home of the
Hamburglar has done more to alleviate poverty in Canada than any charity or
anti-poverty group.
That coffee costs a dollar not because that's the best
price for you,but because that's the best price for McDonald's.
Until March 4th, you can buy any size of coffee at
McDonald's for only a dollar. But why is the coffee so cheap? It certainly
doesn't need to be, given its higher-priced competition. And we hear
continuously from labour unions, anti-poverty activists and the NDP about how
greedy corporations get rich by stepping on the middle class and the poor.
Shouldn't McDonald's be squeezing every last penny it can out of people?
Maybe McDonald's shareholders have seen the
corporate-social-responsibility light and want to make sure poor people can
afford coffee and food. No, that's not it. McDonald's shareholders are, like
everyone else, in it for the money. And we all know the reason McDonald's
provides cheap coffee and cheap food — to the benefit of the middle class and
the poor — is to earn profit. While corporation-bashing activists like to write
fiction about how business profits are exploitative and unfair, it's really big,
profit-seeking corporations like McDonald's that help the poor more than
anyone. It's entirely possible that the home of Ronald McDonald and the
Hamburglar has done more to alleviate poverty in Canada than any charity or
anti-poverty group.
Poor people (and not-so-poor people) are enriched by
McDonald's offerings of cheap and filling food. The popular economics blog
Freakonomics has suggested McDonald's McDouble burger could be “the cheapest,
most nutritious, and bountiful food that has ever existed in human history.”
With two beef patties, pickles and onions, McDoubles offer — for just a couple
of bucks — half the daily recommended serving of protein, seven per cent
of daily recommended fibre, and 20 per cent of your daily calcium and iron.
But it's not through cheap food that McDonald's helps
those in need. Visit an outlet in any major city's downtown and you'll see,
essentially, a temporary shelter for struggling people who badly need a rest,
some warmth, or just a bathroom. As a report in U.K.'s left-wing Guardian described
a couple years ago, “for many of the poorest, for the homeless, and for
people caught in an addiction, McDonald's are an integral part of their lives.”
The washrooms are clean, there is social interaction, McDonald's restaurants are
often safer than homeless shelters, and many locations are open 24 hours.
And many kids get their first job working at McDonald's,
developing work habits and customer-service skills that qualify them for
higher-paying jobs down the road. When it comes to getting young Canadians onto
the first rung of the economic ladder, McDonald's has outdone every
anti-poverty organization in the country.
In fact, McDonald's has enriched the lives of just about
all Canadians — including those (if they exist) who might have never set foot
inside one. Competing for customers, McDonald's forces other fast-food places
to keep prices low and customers happy. And just as customers from Tim Hortons
to Starbucks get better values and so are made better off because of competition
from McDonald's, so too do workers benefit as other companies compete with
McDonald's on pay and benefits.
Affordable food for the poor, a shelter for the homeless,
heightened business competition that benefits workers and consumers and a jobs
factory for young people. These are the results of McDonald's greedy efforts to
earn big profits. The company isn't in it for the warm fuzzies, of course, but
as Adam Smith wrote, “By pursuing his own interest (a person) frequently
promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to
promote it.” That delicious coffee costs a dollar not because that's the best
price for you, but because that's the best price for McDonald's.
2018 Hello Foods Prize
Schemed by FBIF committee, Hello Foods Prize
is to assemble and appreciate creative food and beverage new arrivals in
China’s market. The Professional Group accepts F&B products launched during
Aug. 1st 2016 and Feb. 28th 2018 while the Student Group named as “Fresh Air”
only focused on themed beverage design. Both groups need to deliver samples for
jury’s on-site tasting. Hello Foods jury team is a strong combination of
R&D and Marketing Directors from Wangwang, Nongfu Spring, Coca Cola, Master
Kong, Starbucks, Lepur, Firmenich, Tetra Pak, Dupont, Ipsos and Lindys.
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