April 28, 201016 yr California bans Happy Meal toys at McDonald's restaurants over fears they boost child obesity By David Gardner Last updated at 6:06 PM on 28th April 2010 Comments (0) Add to My Stories Happy Meals are soon going to come with a sad surprise for children in the US. Lawmakers in California have voted to ban toys from being served up with McDonald’s burgers and fries. Officials claim the free goodies, often promoting a new film or popular cartoon characters, lure children into eating foods with high sugar, sodium and fat. The measure is the first of its kind to be proposed to battle an obesity epidemic sweeping California and the rest of America. Forbidden: Happy Meal toys, like above, have been banned in California While supporters insist the ban will force restaurants to offer more nutritious food to children, critics complained last night that it was just another case of the government getting too involved in parenting decisions. Ken Yeager, county supervisor in Santa Clara, the hi-tech Silicon Valley district south of San Francisco that agreed to the clampdown on Tuesday, claimed it ‘breaks the link between unhealthy food and prizes. ‘This ordinance prevents restaurants from preying on children’s love of toys to peddle high-calorie, high-fat, high-sodium kids meals,’ he added. McDonald’s helped build its demand for its ‘Happy Meals’ by including free toys and the giveaways are now common in many fast food chains. But while McDonald’s has introduced healthier meal options like allowing drinks like Coca Cola to be swapped for milk or juice to help battle childhood obesity, the lawmakers say it isn’t enough. Childhood obesity in the US has tripled in the last thirty years. Two- thirds of Americans – about 190 million people – are now said to be medically overweight. California was the first state to ban fizzy drinks from schools and other councils across the country are now considering instituting the toy ban. Under the new bill, restaurants will only be allowed to offer free gifts with meals if they meet basic nutritional criteria. It would not allow the inclusion of a toy in any children’s meal with more than 485 calories, 120 calories for a drink, 200 calories for a single food item, 600 mg of salt or high amounts of sugar or fat. These guidelines would caused all McDonald’s happy meals, even those with apple sticks instead of fries, to be served without a toy. Fast food bosses are being given 90 days to come up with a better solution before the proposals go into effect. Voting against the measure was Supervisor Donald Gage, who claimed parents should be responsible for their children. ‘If you can’t control a three-year-old child for a toy, God save you when they get to be teenagers,’ he said. ‘Ultimately, parents decide what their children eat and whether a meal includes a toy or not – that is the role of a parent,’ added Jot Condie president of the California Restaurant Association. ‘The county government does not need to serve as the parent of the parents.’ Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1269583/California-bans-Happy-Meal-toys-McDonalds-restaurants-fears-boost-obesity.html#ixzz0mQS1v0os
April 28, 201016 yr It does kind of make sense. My sister still gets McDonald's Happy Meals sometimes just because she wants a toy. :uhoh: I USED TO LOVE FURBY :cheesy:
April 28, 201016 yr It does kind of make sense. My sister still gets McDonald's Happy Meals sometimes just because she wants a toy. :uhoh: I USED TO LOVE FURBY :cheesy: They're so.....evil :wreck:
April 28, 201016 yr Author If obesity's the problem, they should be banning the burgers and fries, not the toys - unless, of course, the kids are eating the toys instead!:rolleyes:
April 28, 201016 yr I'm pretty sure I wanted the Happy Meal for the meal.. or whatever that thing is.
April 29, 201016 yr WHY ARE THEY USING A PHOTO FROM THE 90S. They really couldn't do any better, could they? Judging from the Furby, I say 1998. Goddamn. If obesity's the problem, they should be banning the burgers and fries, not the toys - unless, of course, the kids are eating the toys instead!:rolleyes: No, I used to get them all the time for the nummy nuggets and the toys... and I'm not fat nao.
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