The Cardi B-McDonald's collab critics have it all wrong

This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a Quarter Pounder ® with Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. Sign up here. Cardi B’s deal with McDonald’s. The UK [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a Quarter Pounder ® with Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - [Cardi B’s]( deal with McDonald’s. - The UK has [no salad]( to toss. - Nintendo reached [Peak Switch](. - The global rise of [gambling](. Cardi B, Offset and thee. Photographer: Jessica Karl Cheeseburger Controversy Some franchisees are [refusing to promote]( the Cardi B-Offset McDonald’s [collab]( because they claim it goes against the “family values” of the burger chain. McDonald’s has [five core brand values](. Let’s see if Cardi B betrays them: - INCLUSION: She is a [vocal ally]( of the LGBTQ+ community. - INTEGRITY: She is honest when she [makes mistakes](. - COMMUNITY: She has a 200 million-deep followership across [Twitter](, [Instagram]( and [TikTok](. (By comparison, McDonald's has [69 million customers]( per day.) - FAMILY: She is a [mother of two]( — who covers the ears of her children when [explicit songs]( are on. - SERVE: She is [a fashion icon](. So technically, she serves (looks) every day. In what world is this not a perfect match? Leticia Miranda argues [the franchisees who are up in arms over the deal]( likely have “a racialized and dated definition of family values where matriarchs are quiet and sanitized of their sexuality.” In other words: They’re participating in a culture war rooted in misogyny and racism. Cardi B started out as a stripper to escape an abusive relationship, joined a reality TV show and is now a Grammy award-winning artist. The fact that her ascent to fame is being weaponized against her [isn’t a surprise](, but it’s upsetting nevertheless. She is both a powerhouse and a [relatable queen](. McDonald's recognizes this, and this brand deal is an obvious play to reach younger consumers. It’s working: On Valentine’s Day (when the partnership launched), “Cardi B and Offset Meal” was the [7th most-Googled term]( in the US: People are literally [eating it up](. Which, if anything, is the main issue here. I know I sound like some sort of [almond mom]( when I say this, but the [2,175 calorie meal]( is [a heart attack]( waiting to happen. A cheeseburger! A side of BBQ sauce! A Quarter Pounder® with cheese! Large fries!! An apple pie! And, of course, two large drinks to choke it all down. The guy from [Super Size Me]( wouldn’t even be able to handle this. So yeah, the uproar shouldn’t be about family values. It should be about the fast food itself — an industry which Leticia notes traditionally targets communities with “high rates of hypertension and heart disease, and low access to healthcare.” High-and-mighty McDonald’s franchisees should look in the mirror and ask whether they’re truly helping American families. Read [the whole thing](. Wedge Issues What’s a [salad-less]( [Styles]( to do? UK McDonald’s locations have been spared the Cardi B controversy because her meal isn’t on the menu across the pond. But even if it were, they might not have the ingredients to serve it. Lara Williams writes the nation is facing [an unprecedented salad shortage](. Grocery shelves [are bare]( of fresh produce, with not a tomato or lettuce head in sight: Unfortunately, the Great British Salad Shortage of 2023 is unlikely to be the last of its kind. Every year, the UK imports about 54% of its fresh vegetables from other countries — a statistic that grows and shrinks depending on the season. In the winter, this means 95% of tomatoes and 90% of lettuce isn’t home-grown. Under normal circumstances, such cruciferous commerce is a crowning achievement of globalization. But when things don’t go as planned, these agreements can wilt suddenly. “Crop yields are suffering after a cold snap in Spain and floods in Morocco — and we Brits rely on these countries to feed us in the winter,” Lara writes. Britain’s salad situation should [put the world on high alert](. The global food supply is “built on teetering blocks of super-suppliers,” she explains. Which means that everything from corn to soy beans is controlled by a few small players. When climate change comes for their crops, countries across the globe will feel the sting of food insecurity. At that point, a tomato-less English breakfast will be the least of our problems. Telltale Charts Remember that time when it felt like everyone on the planet ([except]( Matt Levine) was playing [Animal Crossing](? In 2020, firing up my Nintendo Switch was a ritual. Every single day, I’d collect fake fruit from fake trees to make sure my fake Bank of Nook account was secure. What a time to be alive! Now, I’m content to let my virtual world collect weeds indefinitely — and I’m sure I’m not alone. So it’s not surprising to hear Gearoid Reidy warn “the moment that [Nintendo investors have dreaded for years]( is finally here: peak Switch.” Gambling is going global. 24/7 online [betting firms are moving cash like never before](, Lionel Laurent writes. Flutter is expecting its US business will hit $40 billion by 2030, up from $9 billion in mid-2022. But as more new customers get hooked on high-stakes bets, regulators need to be ready to curb the rising threat of addiction. “The super-charged power of technology and the pressure on governments to compete amongst themselves for more tax revenue may end up making the problem worse,” he writes. It’s all fun and games until you burn through your [entire emergency savings]( on one football match. Further Reading How Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot [failed on crime](. — Bloomberg’s editorial board Warren Buffett turned a few calls into 3,787,464%. [Here’s how he did it](. — Marc Rubinstein Rural Americans deserve to know [renewable energy]( can make America great again. — Carl Pope To fix [Nigeria’s economy](, both Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi must redefine their roles. — Bobby Ghosh Elon Musk’s [Tesla investor day](was haunted by a car-shaped icon. — Liam Denning The flip side of “if you’re so smart, why aren’t you rich?” is the fact that [you don’t have to be smart to be rich](. — Tyler Cowen The Chips Act will change the way [venture capitalists]( work. — Conor Sen President Joe Biden has [a hole to fill]( at the Fed. — Karl Smith ICYMI Citigroup is cutting [some jobs](. The FDA doesn’t want to test Elon Musk’s [brain chips](. Oklahoma aims to be [the next Texas](. People are obsessed with [peptide injections](. Kickers [Beauty 3.0]( has arrived. You can [eat dinner]( with Willie Nelson. Area woman [blows herself up]( in a house full of cats. The Great Pyramid of Giza has [a hidden corridor](. Plastic surgery for autographs [is a thing](. Notes:  Please send vegetables and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Instagram](, [TikTok](, [Twitter]( and [Facebook](. Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( | [Ad Choices]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022