"Ronald McDonald House Charities" news and stories

A consumer advocacy group claims it's time for Ronald McDonald to go, saying the nation's largest fast-food chain's "Chief Happiness Officer" has too much influence on kids, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Corporate Accountability International will release a report on Wednesday looking at how McDonald's uses Ronald McDonald as a marketing tool to market unhealthy products to children. The report includes information on childhood obesity rates, health and how Americans see Ronald McDonald.

"For nearly 50 years McDonald's and its iconic clown Ronald have hooked kids on unhealthy food, spurring a deadly epidemic," Deborah Lapidus, senior organizer for CAI, told Slashfood.

"The report is ultimately making the case that it's time McDonald's stopped targeting our kids directly with fast food marketing," Lapidus said. "Ronald deserves a break and so do we."

McDonald's, however, says Ronald McDonald is a "beloved brand ambassador" for the fast-food chain.