“Kids’ Meals” and Toys
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom San Francisco has been a national leader in healthier eating for kids, starting with fast food restaurants. A new law went into effect this past week: no free toys included for meals not meeting more healthful standards for calories, fat, and sodium, and containing a serving of fruit. While this has led to some nutritional improvements to fast food meals for kids – including the addition of low-fat dairy products, and more fruit – it seems that companies find it a lot easier to maintain the present kids’ menus and simply charge extra for the toys, rather than comply with the new guidelines for inclusion of a free toy.The toy can be purchased for 10 cents, no matter what the quality of the meal. For McDonald’s, a confusing (and some would say misleading) concept is presented. If you buy the toy, your 10 cents is donated to the building of a new Ronald McDonald house, so it “counts” as a charitable contribution. Burger King hasn’t yet decided what to do with th...