There’s been a lot of talk in the blogosphere about San Francisco’s new law designed to combat childhood obesity, which would require that restaurant kids’ meals meet certain nutritional standards before they could be sold with toys. According to Reuters, “The San Francisco law would allow toys to be given away with kids’ meals that have less than 600 calories, contain fruits and vegetables, and include beverages without excessive fat or sugar.”
In many ways, this is as much a marketing issue as it is a health issue. The concern seems to be that the toys allure kids to desire Happy Meals … and maybe in some cases, they do. But really, isn’t it because fast food inherently has addictive qualities? (If you’ve seen Supersize Me, this needs no explanation!)
To me, the problem is more about the calorie-laden, fat-drenched fast-food in the Happy Meals more than the toy they come with … so banning the toy if the meal doesn’t mean certain requirements isn’t really going to change people’s eating habits. And, to me, the even bigger problem contributing to our nation’s obesity epidemic is not the occasional Happy Meal but rather the fact that so many children are not being fed balanced meals overall and, because it’s cheap, end up with a diet consisting of McDonald’s, Burger King, and Arby’s. Continue reading “Re: The New San Fran/Happy Meal Law … Typical Libra, On the Fence”
Let There Be Light 