McDonald's Chief Executive Jim Skinner took a jab Sunday at regulatory efforts to force calorie counts on restaurant menus, and told those gathered at a restaurant industry trade show that they are facing a "perfect storm"of challenges.
Skinner was the keynote speaker Sunday at the National Restaurant Association's annual show at McCormick Place. The convention, which runs through Tuesday, is one of Chicago's biggest trade shows and is expected to draw 74,000 guests.
Richard Rivera, the association's outgoing chairman, noted in a speech that the industry is "engaged in policy and politics like never before."He was partly referring to attempts by local governments to force chain restaurants to add calorie information to their menu boards.
Skinner said such regulations are "redundant and flawed,"noting that Oak Brook-based McDonald's Corp. has offered abundant calorie information for 30 years. Industry observers have generally seen McDonald's as a leader, posting nutritional information on its Web site, on tray liners and on some product packaging.
Still, advocates of menu-board calorie counts say Web site information isn't available at the point of sale, and packaging data isn't read until after a purchase is made.
