Obese customers in US sue fast food outlets

A group of overweight Americans is suing four fast-food companies accusing them of knowingly serving meals that cause obesity and disease.

The fast-food industry has wrecked my life. I was conned, I was fooled, I was tricked Mr Caesar Barbar, who weighs 20-stone

McDonald's, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Wendy's misled consumers by enticing them with greasy, salty and sugary meals, the legal action filed in Bronx Supreme Court claims.

Mr Caesar Barbar, a 20-stone maintenance supervisor from the Bronx, has had two heart attacks and suffers from diabetes.

"The fast-food industry has wrecked my life. I was conned, I was fooled, I was tricked," Mr Barbar, one of seven plaintiffs, told the New York Post.

He said he regularly ate at the four fast-food franchises until 1996 when a doctor warned his diet could kill him. "I always thought it was good for you. I never thought there was anything wrong with it," he said.

Fast food companies are helping to fund a campaign urging American children to eat more healthily. McDonald's and Burger King are among those supporting the Activate scheme to try to reduce obesity in youngsters.

Six in 10 Americans are now classified as overweight or obese, and over 300,000 deaths each year attributed to obesity-related illnesses.

PA