Local Mum, and tireless No Maccas in the Hills campaigner, Danielle O’Brien has created the following petition, with the help of the folks at Change.org, calling on Little Athletics Australia to drop McDonald’s sponsorship of their program.

In less than a month the petition is now over 12,000 signatures strong, and makes a powerful statement that junk food sponsorship of children’s sporting programs is not on.

A Message from Danielle:

“Our family loves little athletics. My daughter currently participates in the program in Victoria, and my youngest is keen to join this coming summer season. Its such an wonderful active & social experience for kids of all ages and their families.  What I don’t understand is how Little Athletics is allowing McDonald’s to use this forum to market to my children.  Why is a fast food restaurant sponsoring a sporting event which promotes an active healthy lifestyle?

In a time of unprecedented and skyrocketing child obesity, junk food corporations continue to target our children under the guise of community participation.  This manipulative marketing technique is a deliberate and meticulously planned attempt to peddle their unhealthy and fattening foods to our children, trying in the association of exercise, health and fun with their products which are in actuality the antithesis of healthy living.
 
When my kids attend the trainings, or look up the program online, they’re greeted by the McDonald’s logo and marketing. They receive achievement awards from McDonalds with vouchers. And as a major sponsor they are allowed to brand their logo over many of the official uniforms. 
 
And while the director of Little Athletics says the current partnership with McDonald’s is based on “principles of fun and fitness… getting young people involved in healthy activity” — sadly, that’s quite hard to believe. For McDonald’s, it’s about selling their product to our kids. And we shouldn’t be a part of that.
 
I recently saw in the media that after it was revealed WA Little Athletics would allow McDonald’s to continue sponsorship, public health expert Mike Daube said to media: “At a time when a quarter of our kids are overweight or obese, it is simply irresponsible to promote junk food to children in this way.”

Allowing McDonald’s to sponsor Little Athletics goes against everything it’s meant to stand for. As a parent, I’m saying enough is enough to McDonald’s targeting our kids like this. 
 
Please sign my petition asking Little Athletics to drop McDonald’s as a sponsor — it’s time we end junk food companies freely promoting to our kids!”