Junk food giant McDonald’s CEO grilled rare by 9-yr-old

Don Thompson, chief executive officer of fast food giant McDonald's Corp, was left red-faced on Thursday after a 9-year-old girl accused his company of trying to "trick kids into eating food that isn't good for them".

The girl, Hannah Robertson, flew with her mother from Kelowna, British Columbia, to attend McDonald's annual shareholder meeting on Thursday in Oak Brook, Illinois, the company's headquarters.

"Something that I don't think is fair is when big companies try to trick kids into eating food that isn't good for them by using toys and cartoon characters," Robertson read during the question and answer part of the meeting.

"If parents haven't taught their kids about healthy eating then the kids probably believe that junk food is good for them because it might taste good."

Her mother, Kia, attended the meeting as a member of advocacy group Corporate Accountability International, headquartered in Boston and with offices around the world.

Kia Robertson, 36, started Today I Ate a Rainbow in 2009, described as an "interactive nutritional game", and is a nutrition blogger.

"It would be nice if you stopped trying to trick kids into wanting to eat your food all the time," Robertson, who is in the fourth grade, went on to say. "I make cooking videos with my mom which show kids that eating healthy can be fun and yummy. We teach them that eating a rainbow of fruits and veggies makes kids healthier, smarter and happier because that is the truth."

Thompson thanked her for her question but also refuted Hannah's accusations after her closing question: "Thompson, don't you want kids to be healthy so they can live a long and happy life?"

"First off, we don't sell junk food, Hannah," Thompson said. "My kids also eat McDonald's. When they were about your size, my son who is with us today, who was a little bit bigger, he was a football player, and also they cook with me at home. I love to cook. We cook a lot of fruits and veggies at home."

Thompson pointed out that McDonald's serves fruits and vegetables, including apples, in its Happy Meals, and salads for $1, and is hoping to "sell even more".

Juliana Shulman, senior organizer at Corporate Accountability International, which started about 35 years ago, said Kia Robertson started working with the organisation earlier this month for its campaign, 'Moms Are Not Lovin' It' just before Mothers' Day. The campaign aimed to stop what it called McDonald's "predatory marketing to kids".