UnHappy Meal

It’s started. McDonalds' restaurants in San Francisco are no longer offering a toy in their happy meals- if you want the toy you have to pay extra for it- all because the city passed an ordinance claiming that the toys persuade kids to eat unhealthy food.

“Restaurant meals in San Francisco can’t include a free toy unless they have less than 600 calories, contain fruits and vegetables and have a beverage that isn’t excessively sugary or fatty, according to the City and County of San Francisco website.”

Now, it’s not like I’m not happy that McDonalds is creating healthier options for kids- that seems like a great idea- I just don’t think that a city ordinance dictating how restaurants should market to the consumer is necessary or constitutional. I also don't think charging 10 cents for a happy meal toy will do anything to curb unhealthy eating habits. What it will do is of consumers who are just trying to feed and occupy their kids on a busy day.

As I mentioned in a previous blog about tobacco warnings, it’s not the role of government to micromanage business, especially marketing.

Earlier this year McDonald’s started putting apple slices and smaller packets of fries in Happy Meals. All 14,000 U.S. locations are expected to have the apples in the first quarter of next year, the company said. The change reduces calories in kids’ meals by 20 percent.

But Jack in the Box pulled toys from its kids’ meals before that, and without the media hysterical that McDonalds continually faces.  Jack in the box also began serving 70-calorie apple bites with caramel in its kids’ combos this year, sooner than McDonalds.

I guess my point is that big corporations like Jack in the Box and McDonalds have their finger on the pulse of America- it’s their job to know what we want and to provide that service/product. They know that America is becoming more and more aware of how much we over eat and, in order to properly service this growing demographic of health conscious consumers, they are going to self regulate and adjust their menu offerings as needed. We don’t need to clog the arteries of our legislative system with excessive regulations on fast food- there are far more urgent matters that deserve our elected officials attention, don’t you think? (Hint: it’s the economy stupid)

Here is the link if you want to read the article.