Surprise kids! Your kid’s meal now comes with a special prize. The prize is ... nothing.
At least that is the case at San Francisco fast-food establishments.
According to USA Today, Burger King and McDonald’s will begin compliance with a recent San Francisco law that prohibits restaurants from giving out free toys with kid’s meals that are high in fat, sugar and salt.
Instead of giving the toy away for free, it will now cost an additional 10 cents. The law is aimed at making unhealthy meals less appealing to kids in order to help fight childhood obesity.
While I agree with the concept, the execution is shaky at best. As we all remember from our childhood, if a child really wants that toy, 10 cents is not going to stop mom or dad from giving in and buying their child a hamburger meal if they had already intended to.
It is up to parents to regulate what their children eat, encourage them to make healthy choices and lead a healthy lifestyle.
That being said, it’s much easier to do that if the nutritional information is posted on the menu board.
Starting last year, according to The Los Angeles Times, California restaurants with more than 20 locations were required to post calorie information in their establishment. The new health care law contains more stringent requirements for posting nutritional information than the California law.
This certainly doesn’t solve the obesity epidemic in this country, but it is a far better way to encourage healthy habits.
Make the information available to consumers, and then allow them to make their choice. If they still wish to purchase an unhealthy meal, at least they are making an informed decision.
One could argue that consumers already know that food is unhealthy when they walk into a fast-food restaurant. True, but why not give consumers easy access to the information that allows them to make the healthiest — or least unhealthy — decision when ordering?
I fancy myself a healthy eater, but I found myself at McDonald’s the other day when in a rush to get to class. I was there because it was convenient, but I still wanted to do my best to eat well.
If calorie and fat content had been posted on the menu board, it would have been a much easier decision.
Sure, I could have looked up the nutrition information online, but I didn't plan in advance to go there. Had nutrition information been posted, maybe I would have chosen the small cheeseburger, 300 calories, instead of the Grilled Chicken Club, 460 calories.
When I pick out a snack at Circle K, I can read the nutrition information right on the side of the bag of crackers. When I buy cereal from Safeway, I can choose a healthy option if I wanted to by looking at the side of the box. I am able to make an informed decision because the information is presented on the product. Fast food shouldn’t be any different.
Arizona McDonald’s should not stop giving out toys with their Happy Meals, as the establishments in San Francisco have done, but having easy access to more nutritional information would be helpful to all consumers.
It may not solve all of our nation’s health problems, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.
Reach the columnist at emily.muller@asu.edu
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