The McItaly

A fast food giant is teaming up with the Italian government and the result isn’t sitting well with food lovers.

The latest endeavor from McDonalds is the McItaly. A burger made entirely of products made in Italy that features the red, white and green colors of the Italian flag. Agriculture minister Luca Zaia says the venture was designed to promote the taste of Italy, particularly to young people. Zaia says they want to give an imprint of Italian flavors to their youngsters. But the patriotic burger which features a choice of artichoke spread, asiago cheese or smoked pancetta is under fire. Matthew Fort, a food writer for a British newspaper calls the burger a monstrous act of national betrayal. Carlo Petrini, founder of the slow food movement says this is just a scheme to make money by taking power from local producers. And the target consumers agree. Seventeen year old Rachel Diacono wished for a pizza after trying the burger, saying it doesn’t taste like they made much of an effort. Looks like it will take more than the golden arches for youngsters to appreciate the Italian culture.