'Don't ridicule pizza' McDonald's accused of BLASPHEMY over TV ad criticising Italian food
MCDONALD'S has been accused of BLASPHEMY by Italian chefs after it put out an advert criticising pizza.
We've had enough of them making money at the expense of children's health.
The 18-second ad, which shows a waiter in a pizza restaurant asking a small boy what pizza he would like, only to be told he'd rather have a happy meal, was slammed by restauranteurs.
Massimo Di Porzio, vice president of The True Neapolitan Pizza Association in Naples, said: "We've had enough of them making money at the expense of children's health.
"Our legal team is looking at the possibility of legal action to put an end to this shameful attack on a symbol of the Mediterranean diet."
"It is not the first time and it will not be the last time that McDonald's has tried to attack our cultural traditions but this time we are intent on taking action, which if we win, will allow us to invest in courses to help educate children about food."
Meanwhile, Eduardo Pagnani, who owns the Pizzeria Brandi in Naples, said the idea children preferred burgers to pizza was 'blasphemy'.
He added: "Don't ridicule pizza, it is quality food and the best known in the world."
This is not the first time McDonald's has been criticised in Italy.
There were protests in 1986 when it opened a branch near the Spanish Steps in Rome, and riot police had to protect branches across the country in 2000 when demonstrators threw raw meat at stores to protest the growth of food companies.
A McDonald's spokesman said they had not meant to attack Italian food culture, but argued that all the great chefs in Naples had taken their children to McDonald's at some point.
