A father has launched a class-action lawsuit against McDonald’s, alleging that the company’s Happy Meals breach the “child advertising laws” in his native Quebec.
Antonio Bramante is the lead plaintiff in a newly certified lawsuit that alleges McDonald’s is unlawfully aiming advertising at children under 13 years of age.
Bramante is claiming, according to media reports, that the fast-food chain is breaking strict advertising rules in Quebec, Canada. The dad-of-three has said that he eats at McDonald’s at least once a week at the insistence of his children and spends hundreds of dollars on the Happy Meals.
Quebec is one of a handful of jurisdictions in the world to essentially ban all advertising geared towards children. It also had a law since 1980 that restricts marketing unhealthy food to youngsters.
In a statement, McDonald’s Canada told the BBC it has received the ruling certifying the lawsuit and plans to examine it carefully. “We are aware of our obligations under Quebec’s advertising laws and reiterate that we do not believe this class action has merit,” it added.
