According to a report in the Sunday Mirror, one of the MPs to have taken part in the trip is Alan Simpson, a vegetarian who has called for a "fat tax" on fast-food companies. He has also called for research on the relationship between poor diet and anti-social behaviour and is leader of the cross-parliamentary Food Justice Group.
McDonald's is one of the companies that was specifically singled out in a recent House of Commons health committee obesity report. It was criticised for not having any information about the calorific content of its Happy Meals on its website, and for one of its promotions that would have required a child to consume 12,260 calories over a five-week period just from eating Happy Meals in order to collect all the toys.
Since the government report, there has been a growing number of calls for action against food manufacturers, ranging from a ban on them advertising their products to calls for a tax on foods deemed unhealthy.
Simpson, who is MP for Nottingham South, is among those who have been critical of the industry. He is quoted as saying: "It is time the government took the side of society rather than the food industry."
Other people among the 17 MPs on the trip include Gerry Sutcliffe, a minister in the Department of Trade & Industry who is responsible for employee relations and the Low Pay Commission, and Ed Owen, a special adviser to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
The group was scheduled to watch last night's England versus France match in Lisbon, as well as being taken to a reception at one of the city's leading restaurants. They were also taking part in a football game against a group of Portuguese politicians, to raise money for McDonald's-backed charities, the newspaper reported.
However, it says that the parliamentarians did pay for their own tickets to last night's match, and that some of the trip is being funded by Portuguese authorities. The junket is reportedly costing 拢20,000.
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