Monday, July 30, 2012

McDonald's healthy profile in China - Shaun Rein

Shaun Rein
Obese Americans struggling with their health might find this odd, but McDonald's  is preferred by many Chinese consumers, because its fast food is perceived to be healthy, explains Shaun Rein in NPR. Healthy according to Chinese standards, that is.

 NPR:
That's because Chinese consumers trust American brands more than their own, says Shaun Rein, founder of China Market Research, who studies Chinese consumer behavior. Rein says that in China, McDonald's is seen as providing safe and wholesome food... 
"They wanted to use nice, healthy, looking food for the Chinese consumer because the Chinese are petrified of the food supply chain," Rein says. Rein reassures us that Chinese consumers know that much of the McDonald's menu is high in fat. And there's no denying that obesity is a growing problem in the China, as it is worldwide. But, "in a country that deals with food scandals seemingly on a daily basis, like melamine in milk, people are gravitating towards McDonald's and other Western fast food brands because they trust them as being healthy," said Rein.
More in NPR.

Shaun Rein  is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do fill in our speakers' request form.
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

'Healthy' isn't really the right word. They see it as safe. Safe =\= healthy.