A nine-year-old girl from Kelowna, B.C., has become something of a minor celebrity for chastising the CEO of McDonald's over the company's track record on nutrition and its practice of targeting children in advertising.
Hannah Robertson found herself the centre of attention after she addressed McDonald's CEO Don Thompson at the company's annual general meeting in Chicago on Thursday.
"Mr. Thompson, don't you want kids to be healthy so they can live a long and happy life?" Robertson asked. "It would be nice if you stopped trying to trick kids into wanting to eat your food all the time."
According to Global News, Robertson and her mom Kia were invited to speak at the meeting because they are part of an online group called "Moms Not Lovin' It," which is campaigning against McDonald's for "undermin[ing] the efforts of parents to feed kids healthfully."
The campaign is being run by the Boston-based advocacy group Corporate Accountability International.
CEO Thompson stood by the company's menu, saying McDonald's doesn't "sell junk food," pointing out items such as the yogurt parfait and side salad and noting that the company has been adding more fruits and vegetables.
"The way you describe us is not who we are," he said. "We're not predators."
That wasn't good enough for Robertson.
"I don't think he answered it very well, because he just kept saying the same things over and over again like, 'We don't market to kids and we don't sell junk food,'" Robertson told ABC News.
Back home in Kelowna, Robertson continues to press the issue.
"I just wanted to have a voice for all of those kids and parents who wouldn't have that opportunity," she told CBC. "I was trying to say to them to try not to market to kids."
-- With files from the Associated Press
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