Few outside Paris but in France there is KFC (Burger King closed in 1998), Paris has some of busiest and most profitable in Europe.
Paris KFC Les Halles is the busiest outside USA and China.

Vincent, Paris , France

Cronan, London, UK says:
'It's just food, folks. If it were bad for you it would be illegal.'
Tell that to the smokers of the world as they die.
Mr Mortishead is not factoring the risk element in MRM industries (Mechanically Recovered Meat). Mad Cow Disease, like HIV, hasn't gone away. Caveat emptor

Daniel, Hereford, England

I noticed this when visiting Narbonne during the winter six and a half years ago. The only eating establishment in the centre of town open in the evening was McDonald's. As in other countries, the long opening hours and low prices make it popular. That French people are 'anti-American' is a myth.

Paul, Coventry,

Having lived in the USA, UK and now France I can tell you that the French McD(as you may expect) is far superior to US & UK. The dessert menu is a revelation and the burger with mustard sauce and "ciabatta" type bread is far superior to other similar food outlets. And, I'm not a fan of fast food!

kr, villefranche, FRANCE

Re: Margaret - "Eating a burger a month produces the same carbon footprint as driving a Landrover 24000 miles"
Where does this come from?
Is it 1 burger in 1 month? 12 months? every month for life? How many miles for your NORMAL shopping / cooking? - more or less than 24000? This is Meaningless!

Mike, Wiltshire, UK

I think French eating habits are definitely changing for the worse.

I was recently in Normandy and was surprised that the traditional french lunch had been usurped by baguettes filled with Kebab meat (rotary meat).

There were massive queues at all the street vendors serving this fast food.

Jason, London,

I don't disagree that the French are getting a taste for "Le Mackie-D" however the McDonalds in Arles in Provence has just closed down due to a lack of business.....

Clearly, just a regional thing!

Mind you, the menu choice en-francais is far better there than the slop served up in the UK!

Slim, Steyning, West Sussex

i bet it has to do with american tourists who are eating mcrubbish in france.no self respecting french will eat that rubbish.come on surely not

medi, babol,

Margaret is exaggerating but a mcdonalds does increase your carbon footprint:
1 burger a month = 12 burgers a year
2000 miles/burger
Take into account the air miles, the methane emissions from cattle and the fact that rainforest is cut down to graze cows and there you have it! Not 24k but close!

Tom, bedford, uk

A classic case of racialization through animal depiction. The British, and American press has for centuries depicted anyone they wish to put down as a monkey or ape (Irish, Black, Mexican). This depiction will fly below the radar, but it is eerily similar to Anti-Irish and Anti-Black caricatures ...

Miquelon, TORONTO, Canada

Margaret from Eastbourne is correct. Overweight people, statistically more likely to consume a burger a month, get out of breath more quickly than the physically fit. The resulting acceleration of inhalation and exhalation increases the levels of Oxygen converted and emitted as Carbodn Dioxide.

andrew buckley, london, uk

Nice piece of doublespeak: Britain exports meat, Brazil sends "animal carcases" to Europe.

Rosemary , Germany,

I don't know how McDs have got away with calling it a "meal" for all these years.

Not even a 3 year old would be full after eating a bag of fries and a burger.

John , Taipei,

There is no valid scientific evidence that food bought at McDonald's is inherently bad for you. Eat a balanced diet, with more fruit and vegetables than meat, and you'll be fine.

It's just food, folks. If it were bad for you it would be illegal.

To Margaret, where is your evidence?

Cronan, London, UK

Did it ever occur to you that the huge rise in Burger sales in France, is due to all those illegal immigrants popping in for a Big Mac while waiting for the next ferry to England.

Mike, Berlin,

We have lived in France for the last few years and have noticed since Mcd's went there, even the lovely petite French are now getting fat!
Sue,Poole

sue case, poole, England

The only good thing about McD's in France are the loos. A lot of French eateries and service stations think that a hole in the ground is acceptable, whereas McDonald's has a proper toilet. I always use them when caught short in La Republique.

Nobby Clark, Perth,

"Eating a burger a month produces the same carbon footprint as driving a Landrover 24000 miles"

Good news. I have given up burgers so that more than offsets the 6,000 miles I do each year in my Land Rover.

Nobby Clark, Perth,

Having eaten in plenty of French Cafés I am certain that McDonald's success in France is down simply to it serving tastier, fresher food than the competition. Sure the elites dine well but the French mass market is no more discerning than that the British (French supermarkets are proof of this).

Huw Sayer, Norwich, England

No-one forces you to eat anywhere you do not want to eat. What's the point of commenting that McD's isn't food or isn't good for you.

Don't eat it! Also, I would like to see the source that eating one burger a month produces the same footprint as driving a Landrover 24000 miles?

Ed, London,

A large reason for McDonalds' success in France is that it has no competitors. KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut etc. have no or almost no presence in the country. The main competition is in the form of a tiny Belgian company called Quick. McDo dominates the fast-food market in which there are few others.

de Villiers, Avignon,

"Eating a burger a month produces the same carbon footprint as driving a Landrover 24000 miles"

What utter tosh, as long as people keep making statements like this I will continue to laugh at the green movement and their inability to understand science

Tony, Manchester, UK

An American would be surprised by the quality (and high price) of the food at French McDonald's. The coffee is good too. The main disappointment is that our local McDo only opens at 9:30 and so a cooked breakfast remains hard to find.

Roger, Cahors, France

Eating a burger a month produces the same carbon footprint as driving a Landrover 24000 miles. On this basis alone, fast food outlets should have to pay the same green taxes which are being levied on car drivers.

margaret, eastbourne, UK

"McDonald's, which operate on enormous economies of scale and can offer a keenly priced meal."
It's all in how one defines the word "meal." Yes, you can eat McDo and not starve, so it must be food -- but that doesn't make it good or good for you, much less "cuisine."

Jim Houghton, Los Angeles, CA, USA