McDonald's Corp. CEO Jim Skinner on Thursday defended the company's right to advertise to children, saying "this is about choice" and that parents are responsible for deciding what to feed their kids.
At its annual shareholders meeting in Oak Brook, Skinner said that while shareholders have the right to express concerns, McDonald's should also have the right to advertise its menu offerings.
On Wednesday, watchdog group Corporate Accountability International placed ads in U.S. newpapers, including the Chicago Sun-Times, asking the company to stop marketing to children and retire Ronald McDonald as its mascot.
Skinner said that after the ads were run, he received overwhelming support from "customers and people who said they are not our customers, pleading for their right to choose."
The company has been under scrutiny for its use of Ronald McDonald in some of its marketing efforts to children.
"Ronald McDonald is an ambassador to McDonald's, and he is an ambassador for good," Skinner said. "Ronald McDonald isn't going anywhere."
At the meeting, McDonald's also announced it would start purchasing cage-free eggs. Company president Don Thompson said that this year, McDonald's will purchase 1 million cage-free eggs and 1 million eggs raised by enriched housing methods. He noted that only 5 percent of the eggs available in the U.S. are cage-free.
McDonald's investors also rejected a shareholder proposal that would have required the company to issue a report outlining its role in childhood obesity and other health matters.
McDonald's shares gained 54 cents, or 0.67 percent, to $82.04 after the vote results were announced.
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