It seems that not everyone’s lovin’ it. When famous fast-food chain McDonald’s announced the opening of a restaurant in Loma Linda, California, residents reacted with anger. The reason? With half of its 23,000 population being Seventh-day Adventists, Loma Linda prides itself on being America’s healthiest city.
“Loma Linda is sort of a symbolic city for healthiness, and McDonald’s is sort of a symbolism of unhealthiness. McDonald’s does not fit the Loma Linda brand of health and wellness,” said Dr. Wayne Dysinger, head of preventive medicine at the medical school. “Compare it to smoking laws: There’s no question that smoking is harmful to people’s health. Exposing people to fast food also is harmful to their health,” he told the Los Angeles Times.
However, mayor Rhodes Rigsby, an Adventist vegetarian, said it was not up to the authorities to “keep people from harming themselves”. The decision to allow a McDonald’s franchise to open was made by a 3-2 majority of the city council but opponents have called for it to be overturned.
In 2005, Loma Linda was named by National Geographic as one of the world’s four places with the most people living healthy lives into their nineties and past 100. America’s healthiest city has no off licence and has been tobacco free for three decades.
“McDonald’s wants to be a good neighbour in the communities we serve. We have been working hard over the past several years to ensure we have options on our menu to meet a variety of dietary needs. We believe the new restaurant will support the Loma Linda community with a contemporary dining experience and help fuel economic growth,” the fast food restaurant chain said in a statement.
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