Prince Charles yesterday criticised McDonald's fast food restaurants and suggested that a ban on the chain was the "key" to improving diet and fitness.
Prince Charles yesterday criticised McDonald's fast food restaurants and suggested that a ban on the chain was the "key" to improving diet and fitness.
The Prince of Wales spoke out as he and the Duchess of Cornwall were visiting the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre in Abu Dhabi as part of a 10-day tour of the Gulf.
They attended the launch of a public health awareness campaign aimed at fighting diabetes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has the second-highest prevalence of the condition in the world.
As he toured the facility, which is staffed mainly by British workers, he watched as a group of young children chose from a selection of "good" and "bad" snacks for their lunchboxes.
The prince then chatted to one of the centre's nutritionists, Nadine Tayara, and asked her: "Have you got anywhere with McDonald's, have you tried getting it banned? That's the key."
His comments came as it emerged that social services have allowed an extremely overweight eight-year-old boy to stay with his family.
Connor McCreaddie, from Wallsend, North Tyneside, weighed 15stone 8lb before Christmas. He then started an exercise and healthy eating regime and has so far lost one-and-a-half stones. His mother, Nicola McKeown, 35, feared that he would be taken into care but yesterday, after a child protection conference, social workers said he could remain at home.
The prince's remarks follow efforts by McDonald's to improve the brand's reputation on health, the environment and working conditions.
In 2004, it emerged that it was phasing out its supersize portions and it now offers healthier alternatives including salad, fruit and milk.
A McDonald's spokeswoman said that the prince's remark was "disappointing" and other members of his family who had visited the chain "have probably got a more up-to-date picture of us."
The latest figures for Scotland show that 21.8% of children in primary one are overweight, including 9.1% who are obese and 4.4% who are severely obese. About 200,000 Scots have diabetes.
In the UAE, more than 20% of those aged 20 to 79 have been diagnosed with the illness.
A Clarence House spokesman later issued a statement on the furore. It said: "In visiting the diabetes centre today, he was keen to emphasise the need for children to enjoy the widest variety of food and not to eat any particular sort of food to excess."
It comes after research by trade body Great British Chicken found that the average mealtime in British homes lasts just 14 minutes and 27 seconds. Nutritionists said that by eating food so quickly people are more likely to overeat.
