Supes bid adieu to the traditional Happy Meal
Supes' 8-3 decision means free goodies may be nothing but happy memories at Golden Arches in S.F.
The free toys that McDonald's and other fast-food establishments give away with Happy Meals and similar kids meals that don't have reduced sodium, sugar and fat content will be nothing but happy memories in San Francisco, if legislation approved this afternoon by the Board of Supervisors stands.
The proposed law, pitched by sponsors as a tool to help combat childhood obesity, wouldn't ban the toys outright. Instead, it would allow them only if the recipes are tweaked to make them healthier.
''This is a simple and modest policy that holds fast-food (businesses) accountable and it allows toys with kids' meals if basic nutritional standards are met,'' said Supervisor Eric Mar, chief sponsor of the legislation.
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Fast food restaurants market too heavily to kids, a report finds
It's no secret kids like fast food. And fast food likes kids--so much so that some companies have ramped up their marketing efforts in the past couple of years, says a new report released Monday from Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.
The report details findings on fast food marketing and nutrition information, based on examining the marketing endeavors of 12 large national fast food chains. Researchers also looked at data on nutritional information in more than 3,000 children's meal combos and 2,781 menu items.
The information doesn't put fast food companies in the best light. For example, the report found that (shocker) unhealthful foods reign on menus. Out of 3,039 likely meal combinations, a dozen met nutrition standards the researchers set for preschoolers, and 15 met the criteria for older children. Sugar and saturated fat make up at least 30% of the calories of items bought by kids and teens.
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