A county supervisor in California wants to ban Happy Meal toys and other similar treats that are given away with children's fast food meals.
So why should St. Louis moms be concerned about a county in California? This same county in Silcon Valley issued a law in 2008 that required chain restaurants to include a calorie count on their menus, which was later adopted by the state of California. And trends that start in California often spread to the rest of the nation.
Ken Yeager, the Santa Clara County Supervisor, is presenting a law at Tuesday's county board meeting to ban toys given away with unhealthy food. He believes the toys are used to encourage children to eat fatty, sugary, high-calorie meals that can lead to childhood obesity, according to the Silcon Valley Mercury News.
"They want the toy and have no idea what's in the food," Yeager said Monday to the Mercury News. "You can't expect a 3-year-old to say there are too many calories in that hamburger."
The regulation would be the first of its kind in the nation.
"We can't just do nothing and hope that families just find another way to avoid obesity in their kids," said Yeager, who hopes a new regulation could come up for a vote in late April. "We have to hold the fast-food chains responsible."
Of course, the larger question here is: do toys in fast food meal make children eat unhealthy meals? Who drives the kids to the restaurant? Who buys the food? It's not the kids. If parents are concerned about their child's weight, then they--not the government--should cut back on the cheese burgers and chicken nuggets.
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Comments
Well.. my take on this is that if parent don't want their children to eat at McD's then they don't take them there and having yet MORE government programs to try to control us is a waste of my tax payer dollars... Also.. on a funnier note.. a friend of mine used to call it a "SAD MEAL" Burger and fries with no surprise... :)
Great article! I never really thought about this side to the story. However, my kids are toy-driven....But, wanting the toy and buying the food doesn't necessarily mean they eat the food. Which is annoying and a waste of money for a plastic toy only to hear they're hungry an hour later. Another thought is that McDonald's and Burger King, and I'm sure others, do offer healthy choices such as Apple slices, Apple juice, Milk, etc. with their Happy Meals.
kids love them crappy toys!
I can't believe someone with any position above homeless drunk could bring this up as a serious issue. "We can't just do nothing and hope that families just find another way to avoid obesity in their kids," OHHH GOD THE HORROR! If a politician believes the government is needed in this instance, then they believe the government should act as secondary parents for every child in the country. Don't take your kid to McDonald's every day! Once a month or so is fine! he doens't need the toys more frequently than that! Stop relying on government, take some damn personal responsibility. But, now that health care passed, expect a lot more of this. Now that everyone's part of the collective insurance, the government will regulate our lives to try and save money
More big government interferring in our lives. NO, they should not ban them.
Just what we need, more Government interference. Why does our Government seem to think they can take care of everything, when they can't take care of themselves.Our Government is very broken and getting worse everyday.We need to fix our problems here, before helping anyone. Does any other Country help us when we have a disaster. What about our homeless, jobless, food-less, cloth-less. Our soldiers who are losing their homes, people who can't pay their electric bills.WE the people need to stand up and stop being afraid of the Government. Our forefathers would be horrified by what has happened to our Country. I was a proud American at one time, not anymore.
Why do people not see that the problem lies with the parents? Stop feeding the kid the fatty food all the time. This solves the problem. The toy should not be an impetus to eat. So really, the parents who constantly let their kids eat hamburgers and chicken nuggets to excess (the real problem) should be banned; not the toys. Take some responsibility for your own lives and teach your kids some of that responsibility while your at it. What happened to our society over the last 10 years? Accountability seems to have disappeared.
Fast food chains are one of the most significant contributors to the obesity epidemic in this country. Obviously, some of these chains see clear value (profit) in marketing these poor quality meals to our children and parents...perhaps mostly to those who are not educated enough - or mindful enough to make more intelligent choices for healthy food. Parents have a responsibility obviously but so should large fast food chains. Get creative fast food chains. You can promote healthy quick serve foods and still make strong margins. Our nations fast food chains should continue to improve on promoting healthy life styles. Fast food chains, step up your game or you may find your company in the being subject to this type of regulation.
Right on about not needing more government interference in our lives. It is must do something, why not spend money on a positive approach such as teaching about good nutrition in the schools? I know some school cafeterias have gotten bad marks for all the junk food, and the vending machines have been banned from some campuses.
When my kids want a toy a restarant is offering we just buy the toy not the food. I found that my kids did not eat the food in the happy meal, like Tere said. So now we just get the toy. Also, if they want to play at the playground we will just buy a drink and sit on the playgrouund til they get it out of their system. Cal legislators: educate don't suffocate!
McDonald's offers apple dippers and milk with their kids meals. My three kids ask for white meat nuggets, apple dippers and small milk - no pop, no fries. That's all they advertise to kids based on their kids pledge. I am educated, read labels, watch our fat intake and frankly - I would rather have them eat this meal vs the school lunch menus- have you ever seen the nutritional info on those????
This makes me want to go out and buy a happy meal for my son. He's very thin like both my husband and I. I am always looking for a way to fatten him up a little!
This is the most stupidest thing I ever heard of !! Taking the toy out of the kid's or happy meals !! ROFL !!
Whether the toy comes with the meal or not isn't going to change the quality of the product or make it any healthier !! DUH !!
How about starting at changing the quality of the food being served from these places !! It's not the toys that are unhealthy !!
This County Supervisor is the laughing stock of the herd !!
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