Why are classrooms and children becoming fast food billboards?

A joint statement by 22 civil society organisations condemning the Department of Basic Education's facilitation of corporate-branded furniture donations, specifically McDonald's 'Mi Desk' desks, in South African schools, arguing that such actions expose children to harmful junk food and gambling marketing.

• Civil society organisations argue that the donation of McDonald's-branded 'Mi Desk' desks to two Cape Town schools, facilitated by Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube, constitutes junk food marketing targeting vulnerable children rather than charity. They contend that this practice exposes children to high-fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) foods and turns children into "unpaid, walking billboards" for the junk food market.
• The statement links the prevalence of corporate-branded donations—including those from the Hollywood Foundation (linked to Hollywood Bets) and Old Mutual—to government austerity and cuts to the education budget. The authors claim this creates gaps in rural and working-class communities that corporate 'philanthropy' fills, effectively turning classrooms into advertising spaces and normalising unhealthy behaviours such as gambling.
• The organisations highlight a public health crisis in South Africa where nearly one in four children under five are overweight or obese, fueled by the availability of ultra-processed foods. They assert that the Department of Basic Education is failing its legal duty under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to protect children from the harmful impact of HFSS food marketing.
• The coalition demands that the South African government take several immediate actions: recall the branded desks, ensure provincial departments supply furniture, and finalise specific regulations to restrict unhealthy food marketing. Specifically, they call for the finalisation of draft regulations R3337 on the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs and the Audio and Audio Visual Content Services White Paper.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2025). Why are classrooms and children becoming fast food billboards? https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/joint-statement-why-are-classrooms-and-children-becoming-fast-food-billboards/

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. Why are classrooms and children becoming fast food billboards? 2025. https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/joint-statement-why-are-classrooms-and-children-becoming-fast-food-billboards/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=Why are classrooms and children becoming fast food billboards? |date=27 February 2025 |url=https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/joint-statement-why-are-classrooms-and-children-becoming-fast-food-billboards/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{instituteforeconomicjustice2025why, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{Why are classrooms and children becoming fast food billboards?}}, publisher = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/joint-statement-why-are-classrooms-and-children-becoming-fast-food-billboards/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }