McDonald's took out the ads in The Times, The Guardian and The Independent last week to coincide with Spurlock's promotion of his film at the Edinburgh Festival.

The fast food company said it agreed with the central premise of the film -- that eating too much without taking exercise will harm your health. McDonald's highlighted that it had added healthier items to its menu and claimed it would take the average customer six years to consume the amount of McDonald's food that Spurlock ate in a month.

Speaking on movie website screendaily.com, Spurlock said the ads were "laughable", adding, "it's fantastic –- we've created a film that makes a gigantic corporation examine its business practices and every function".

In the Independent on Sunday he described the ads as "wonderful publicity". Spurlock added: "They paint this picture of me as a lethargic slob who just sat and ate McDonald's for hours on end, where I was just emulating the daily physical activity of most Americans, who walk only a mile and a half a day."

McDonald's has defended its campaign, saying it created the press ads to ensure a "balanced debate".

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