The McAfrika was a
hamburger
A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, ...
sold by the
fast food restaurant chain
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...
in Norway and Denmark and "traded"
as a Limited Edition Olympic Games Burger. It attracted significant public criticism as a result of its name and the timing of its launch.
Product
The McAfrika sandwich contained beef, cheese, and tomatoes wrapped in
pita bread
Pita ( or ) or pitta (British English), is a family of yeast-leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and neighboring areas. It includes the widely known version with an interior pocket, also ...
. McDonald's claimed it was based upon an authentic African recipe.
Public reaction
The McAfrika was released in 2002, just as a major famine was occurring in
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...
,
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
,
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
,
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...
,
Lesotho and
Swaziland. The name of the burger was immediately criticized for being grossly insensitive, especially since it was released in Norway, one of the richest nations in the world.
Norwegian Church Aid
Norwegian Church Aid (NCA; Norwegian: ''Kirkens Nødhjelp'') is a Norwegian humanitarian and ecumenical organisation with headquarters in Oslo. It was traditionally affiliated with the state Church of Norway, but is now independent. Norwegian Chu ...
and the
Norwegian Red Cross
The Norwegian Red Cross (''Norges Røde Kors'') was founded on 22 September 1865 by prime minister Frederik Stang. In 1895 the Norwegian Red Cross began educating nurses, and in 1907 the Norwegian Ministry of Defence authorized the organization f ...
, which were both conducting humanitarian operations in southern Africa at the time, said that McDonald's decision was insensitive, crass and ill-considered.
Linn Aas-Hansen said that "it's inappropriate and distasteful to launch a hamburger called McAfrika when large portions of southern Africa are on the verge of starvation."
CARE Norway demanded that McDonald's withdraw the burger.
In particular, Norwegian Church Aid protested the McAfrika burgers by giving out "catastrophe crackers" to customers entering Norwegian McDonald's outlets.
Support for McDonald's came from the organization African Youth in Norway who appreciated Africa's name being used in a positive manner instead of as a continent of war and poverty.
[
]
McDonald's response
McDonald's did not withdraw the burger, instead offering it until September 2002, just as planned in its campaign.[ However, as a conciliatory gesture, it allowed aid agencies to put up posters and donation boxes in McDonald's restaurants where the McAfrika was being sold. Furthermore, McDonald's spokesperson Margaret Brusletto apologized for the timing of the launch, saying "We acknowledge that we have chosen an unfortunate time to launch this new product."]
2008 re-launch
The McAfrika was re-launched in 2008 to promote the 2008 Beijing Olympics for a short time, and attracted a similarly negative response.
See also
* McDonald's Criticism
References
{{McDonald's
2002 controversies
2002 in Denmark
2002 in Norway
McDonald's foods
Food and drink introduced in 2002
2008 controversies