Earlier this month San Francisco passed a new ordinance that would outlaw giving away children's toys in unhealthy meals, specifically the McDonalds Happy Meal.  Although the Mayor, Gavin Newsom, declared his intention to veto the ban, the measure passed by a vote of 8 to 3, overriding the potential veto.

This new law was created to hamper marketing of unhealthy food to children and specifically states that toys may not be given away with meals unless they meet specific nutritional guidelines regarding calorie, fat and sodium content and contain a serving of fruits or veggies.   

"Our children are sick. Rates of obesity in San Francisco are still climbing, and among children of color in particular. Restaurants in San Francisco should be providing healthful food choices for our families;" said ordinance sponsor Supervisor Eric Mar. "This is a challenge to the industry to think about children's health first."

 

Naturally, McDonalds Corporation is not pleased and, upon the news that the ordinance had passed, McDonald's spokeswoman Dany Proud publically stated "We are extremely disappointed with today's decision; it's not what our customers want nor is it something they asked for.  Getting a toy with a kid's meal is just one part of a fun family experience at McDonalds"

And for decades McDonalds has been cashing in on this "fun-food" link, pairing toys and cartoon characters with their high fat high sodium high calorie children's meals.  Anyone who remembers the multiple "mini-beanie-baby" crazes at McDonalds or the "gotta catch em all" Pokémon fiasco at Burger King understands what a successful marketing strategy this can be, as children (and even some adults) come in droves to collect a set of whatever the current fad toy may be.

 

While McDonald's legal representatives argue enforcing these new nutritional guidelines on children's meals that come with a toy undermines a parent's authority to make decisions regarding what their child eats, the reality is the power has not been taken from parents but from the McDonalds Corporation.  In the past parents were given one option at McDonald's if they wanted to buy their child a meal with a toy.  That was the Happy Meal.  If a child wanted a toy but a parent did not want their child eating a burger, fries and a sugary drink there was no alternate kid's meal to choose from.

McDonalds defends their inclusion of a toy with their fattening meals claiming it to be a fun childhood experience while in reality it is nothing more than a marketing strategy that puts the health of American children last in favor of profits and takes advantage of the ignorance and emotional immaturity of children.  If parents really feel it is important for their child to receive a toy with a fattening meal when they go out, the option exists to order their child a burger and fries and stop at a toy store on the way home.  Parents still have the right to make any decision they choose regarding their child's health, only now their children will not be the targets of ruthless marketing schemes.

 

 According to Corporate Accountability International, "McDonald's and its competitors pump hundreds of millions each year into toy promotions and other forms of predatory marketing to kids because the return on investment is high...for them, at least. Children up to age 12 command $40-50 billion in directing purchasing power, and influence another $670 billion in family purchases each year."

Currently only two cities in the United States have taken action to protect children from the global fast food giants.  Before San Francisco, nearby Santa Clara County had enacted a similar ordinance regarding marketing of unhealthy food to children, restricting the giving away of toys with fattening meals.

"This ordinance prevents restaurants from preying on children's' love of toys" to sell high-calorie, unhealthful food, said Supervisor Ken Yeager, who sponsored the measure. "This ordinance breaks the link between unhealthy food and prizes."

Corporate Accountability International is leading a Value the Meal campaign to hold major fast food chains responsible for the children's health issues related to their marketing strategies.  This is one of many ways to get involved in the battle against childhood obesity.  Although there are many factors that can impact a person's health, a healthy diet is an integral part of staying fit and avoiding problems such as heart disease, arteriosclerosis and diabetes which kill millions of Americans every year.  In the end it is up to an individual to make their own decisions regarding their diet but the healthy choice should not be the difficult choice, especially for children who may not understand the long term effects of their eating habits.

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