McAfrika
The McAfrika was a hamburger sold by the fast food restaurant chain McDonald's in Norway and Denmark and "traded"[1] as a Limited Edition Olympic Games Burger. It attracted significant public criticism as a result of its name and the timing of its launch.[1][2]
Product
The McAfrika sandwich contained beef, cheese, and tomatoes wrapped in pita bread. McDonald's claimed it was based upon an authentic African recipe.[3]
Public reaction
The McAfrika was released in 2002, just as a major famine was occurring in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Lesotho and Swaziland.[4][5] The name of the burger was immediately criticized for being grossly insensitive, especially since it was released in Norway, one of the richest nations in the world.[6]
Norwegian Church Aid and the Norwegian Red Cross, which were both conducting humanitarian operations in southern Africa at the time, said that McDonald's decision was insensitive, crass and ill-considered.[3] Linn Aas-Hansen said that "it's inappropriate and distasteful to launch a hamburger called McAfrika when large portions of southern Africa are on the verge of starvation."[7] CARE Norway demanded that McDonald's withdraw the burger.[8] In particular, Norwegian Church Aid protested the McAfrika burgers by giving out "catastrophe crackers" to customers entering Norwegian McDonald's outlets.[3]
Support for McDonald's came from the organization African Youth in Norway who appreciated Africa's name being used in a positive manner instead of as a continent of war and poverty.[8]
McDonald's response
McDonald's did not withdraw the burger, instead offering it until September 2002, just as planned in its campaign.[8] However, as a conciliatory gesture, it allowed aid agencies to put up posters and donation boxes in McDonald's restaurants where the McAfrika was being sold. Furthermore, McDonald's spokesperson Margaret Brusletto apologized for the timing of the launch, saying "We acknowledge that we have chosen an unfortunate time to launch this new product."[3]
2008 re-launch
The McAfrika was re-launched in 2008 to promote the 2008 Beijing Olympics for a short time, and attracted a similarly negative response.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b Virtually Useless Information. West Side Publishing. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60553-916-4.
- ^ a b Bhasin, Kim (30 August 2011). "12 McDonald's Menu Items That Failed Spectacularly". Business Insider. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d Osborn, Andrew (24 August 2002). "New from McDonald's: the McAfrika burger (don't tell the 12m starving)". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
- ^ Mark Oliver (25 July 2002). "Famine in southern Africa | Global development". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ Borja, Sahara (29 November 2011). "We're Not Lovin' It! Fast Food's Most Famous Flops". Retrieved 7 June 2013.
- ^ "We're Rich, You're Not. End of Story". The New York Times. 17 April 2005. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
- ^ Osborn, Andrew (23 August 2002). "New from McDonald's: the McAfrika burger (don't tell the 12m starving)". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
- ^ a b c Bevanger, Lars (26 August 2002). "'McAfrika' burger not to everyone's taste". BBC. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
- v
- t
- e
- Richard and Maurice McDonald
- Ray Kroc
- Joan Kroc
- Ralph Alvarez
- Charlie Bell
- Al Bernardin
- Jim Cantalupo
- George Cohon
- Dan Coudreaut
- Steve Easterbrook
- Janice L. Fields
- Den Fujita
- Don Gorske
- Jack M. Greenberg
- Eikō Harada
- Chris Kempczinski
- June Martino
- Herb Peterson
- Michael R. Quinlan
- Ed Rensi
- Willard Scott
- James A. Skinner
- Donald N. Smith
- Harry J. Sonneborn
- Don Thompson
- Fred L. Turner
- George T. Yang
- Hamburger University
- Leaps and Bounds
- McBarge
- McCafé
- CosMc's
- McDonald's Chicago Flagship
- McDonald's #1 Store Museum
- McDonald's at the Will Rogers Archway
- McDonaldland
- Oldest McDonald's restaurant
- PlayPlace
- Ronald McDonald
- Ronald McDonald House Charities
- World's Largest Entertainment McDonald's
- eCrew Development Program
- Ice cream machine
Beef | |
---|---|
Chicken | |
Other | |
Former |
Campaigns | |
---|---|
Sponsorships |
|
Related |
|
- Attacks
- San Ysidro McDonald's massacre (1984)
- Taiwan McDonald's bombings (1992)
- Sydney River McDonald's murders (1992)
- Murder of Wu Shuoyan (2014)
- Munich shooting (2016)
- Magnificent Mile shooting (2022)
- McDelivery
- Big Mac Index
- McDonald's Young Entertainers
- McWords
- "Seriously McDonalds"
- Statue of a Quarter Pounder
- Taylor Company
- Urban legends
- "Boom, Like That"
- The Founder (2016 film)
- McMillions (2020 documentary series)
- List of nicknames for McDonald's