Promotional toys that typically accompany high-fat, high-calorie fast food meals for children have been banned in Santa Clara County, unless those meals meet specific nutrition guidelines.
"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."
to sell high-calorie, unhealthful food, said Supervisor Ken Yeager, who sponsored
the measure. "This ordinance breaks the link between unhealthy food and prizes."
I think this is a clever strategy, since for many children the toy is what they are truly excited about (teenie beanie babies anyone?). The eight year old version of myself would not have cared if my happy meal was "healthy" as long as I got the super-awesome toy, which always ended up being forgotten within a day (my husband should be thankful I am no longer so fickle
). Click HERE for the full story.What do you think? Is it a good way to combat childhood obesity, or is fast food still fast food regardless of the number of calories?
