Why are classrooms and children becoming fast food billboards?

Civil society organisations are protesting the handover of McDonald’s-branded ‘Mi Desk’ desks to Cape Town schools, facilitated by the Minister of Basic Education. The groups argue that such donations are not charity but junk food marketing targeting vulnerable children amidst a crisis of malnutrition and obesity. They contend that corporate philanthropy fills gaps created by state austerity and disinvestment, particularly in rural and working-class communities. The statement calls for the immediate recall of branded desks, the finalisation of regulations to restrict the marketing of harmful foods to children, and proper funding of education by the National Treasury to remove the need for corporate partnerships.

• The donation of McDonald’s-branded 'Mi Desk' desks to Cape Town schools is viewed as junk food marketing targeting vulnerable children rather than charity, occurring during a period where South Africa faces a "compounding crisis of malnutrition, obesity, and a non-communicable disease epidemic".
• The prevalence of fast and ultra-processed foods in South African markets has contributed to an obesity epidemic, with nearly 25% of children under five being overweight or obese.
• Corporate donations of branded furniture, including those from the Hollywood Foundation (linked to Hollywood Bets), are described as a consequence of austerity and education budget cuts that allow corporate actors to enter spaces abandoned by the state, specifically targeting black children in rural and working-class areas.
• The South African government is urged to finalise draft regulations R3337 on the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs and the Audio and Audio Visual Content Services White Paper to protect children from the marketing of health-harming foods.

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} }