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The McSpoon- How Cocaine Made McDonald’s Change What Utensils They Gave Their Customers
In the 1970s, an innocent plastic spoon for coffee quickly took a sinister turn for the fast food giant
McDonald’s became a global institution by perfecting the science of giving customers the exact same food no matter what location is visited. Still, they have tried out numerous different items over the years, with some sticking as a regular offering and others floating by like a feather in the wind. Unfortunately, their use of their branded mini spoons, which were used primarily as stirrers for their coffee, had to be discontinued due to cocaine.
In the 1970s, McDonald’s provided customers who bought coffee with a small, white plastic stirrer shaped like a miniature spoon. It was embossed with the chain’s name and iconic arches, and designed to stir sugar and cream into hot java. It had a small, hollowed-out bowl that was perfect for measuring exactly 100 milligrams of sugar — something that would soon become notorious for a very different reason.
The United States' cocaine epidemic in the 1970s marked a dramatic shift in American drug culture and crime. Cocaine transitioned from being considered a rare, expensive drug associated with elite circles to a more widely used…
