San Francisco Bans Happy Meals

Banning Happy Meal Toys: Good Idea or Bad Idea?

November 3, 2010

Yesterday in San Francisco, an intriguing law passed that involves McDonald's happy meal toys. The "Happy Meal Ban" is the latest governmental attempt to fight childhood obesity. In order for McDonald's to offer a happy meal toy, the meal must meet certain nutritional guidelines. The thinking behind the law is that if there's no toy with the meal, then kids won't be hungry to consume it. It's an interesting way to look at things, and I'm wondering if the ban will actually affect the weight and eating habits of the city's children. How do you feel about it?

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24 Comments

2 years

I dont think taking the toys from the kids would even help much, it is the parents choice as what their kids eat in a happy meal, they do come with healthy options, apples and a juice for example.... i think taking the toys away would just cause parents to instead go to the dollar menu with is full of double cheeseburgers and other.... idk just my opinion, but i dont think taking toys away will make them eat any healthier.

bsanf3 2 years

Even without the toys kids will still want to go. I didn't go that much when growing up, the toys didn't make a difference to me, although I love the old apple pies.

2 years

As many people pointed out the toy was the highlight of getting a Happy Meal. Take that away, and hopefully the appeal isn't the same. Obviously it's the parents buying them, but from my experience is also the kids asking for them. The comments about the government telling people what to do is a tad extreme. People in SF are more health conscious than in many other parts of the country, so unless you live there, don't worry about missing out on your toy.

Curlock Holmes 2 years

Seriously? It's not the toys making these kids obese, it's the MEAL that comes with it! And who is buying that meal? the PARENTS! So if McDonald's wants to throw a cheap plastic plaything into the box, it won't matter if you're not buying your kid that mess to begin with. Think about it: the reason parents (well, most people) go to places like McD's is because they are pressed for time/ dont feel like cooking/possibly cant afford better food, and they need something to eat. If they get rid of the toy, is that going to stop those people from grabbing a burger and fries for themselves and their kids? Absolutely not! The people who know better don't eat there, a toy won't change that. Let the government focus on things like public education or healthcare rather than a Happy Meal.

betty kraker 2 years

they could give the toys only when kids get healthy alternative meal that consists of not so healthy nuggets with apples Carmel dip and chocolate milk dropping the toys would make the price of the meal go down a little we never get that stuff b/c of the toy we get it when we treat our selves to it but its not really a treat

2 years

Ban unsustainable palm oil instead! McDonald's is a huge buyer of unsustainable palm oil which is destroying rainforests in South East Asia and Africa.

Spectra 2 years

I definitely agree that the government should stay away from the situation and parents should be parents and be responsible for what their kids eat. When we were kids, we used to beg to go to McD's to get the Happy Meals just to get the toy. We'd pick at the food and not really eat it and my dad would just feed us real food when we got home. A few french fries isn't going to hurt anyone, but parents that feed their kids crap nonstop are the ones that need help.

amber512 2 years

Taking away an unnecessary toy is not the government telling us what to eat! lol We should be donating money to kids who actually need things like real FOOD, not give our kids another unnecessary dinky little toy.

2 years

the point isn't whether this stuff is bad or misleading..but the government has NO BUSNESS tell you what to feed your kids. That's communism plain and simple...Government knows best for the people..not the people for the people. What country do you think you live in?

jordana28 2 years

I like the idea,yes it i is the parents responsibility. If the parents won't make better choices now the government will have to pay (meaning us as tax payers) will have more people on disability and not being able to work because of heath issues. Its every ones responsibility from parents, to the fast food chain, and the government. We all have to be responsible.

DeviousMuse 2 years

I can definitely agree with those that the public needs to do more PARENTING and keep the government out of it. However, they could be looking at it in a cause-and-effect way: If the toys are not part of the meal, kids may be less apt to ask/beg/whine to their parents about going. Parents will then take their children less often. McD's Happy Meals sales will go down as a result. But the law states that they can include the toy, should the kids' meal meet certain nutritional criteria. Therefore, McD's raises their standards, bring the toy back, kid demand increases, sales lift. It's not a straight win-win for everyone, as kids are still consuming what would be still a high-calorie-fat-sodium meal, but at least the standards would improve.

weffie 2 years

Amanda I apologize if it seemed I was comparing your situation to eating McDonald's, obviously a physical assault on a child is a completely different issue altogether and I'm very sorry if it seemed I was trying to downplay or make light of it. However, if a parent starved their child half to death, nobody would have a problem with calling them abusive. I don't understand how denying your child adequate nutrition is that much better. Maybe it's not "abuse," but it's definitely negligence. A little girl I babysat was over 100lbs in the second grade because of her junk food diet, and it was very painful for her to be so unhealthy. Her parents never actually hit her, but they still hurt her a great deal.

amandachalynn 2 years

No one goes to these places thinking they're eating healthy food. You know exactly what you're getting. They've even started putting nutritional info on the packaging, and people are still going. Some people not being able to take responsibility for themselves should NOT mean that the government can step in and 'help'. I live here to live in a free country, where people are allowed to make their own decisions even if I disagree with them. It's too bad that these days people want to be right so badly that they force their own opinions and beliefs on everyone else. If you don't like that someone is feeding their child junk food, than don't look. Also, as a person who grew up in an abusive household Weffie, I would have LOVED to have my 'abuse' be getting fed Mcdonalds everyday instead of having my father hit me in the head with a lamp, or having to learn how to use concealer at 8 years old to cover the bruises for school. To call Mcdonalds child abuse is extremely insulting and downplays a very serious issue.

SaraNoH 2 years

obviously we aren't doing a such a great job at SELF GOVERNMENT, and when we fail at doing that, then yes, the gov't should be able to do this. Maybe this will serve as a wakeup call to parents that McD's shouldn't be such a sought after option.

tigr3bianca 2 years

Banning the toys is not going to discourage kids from wanting fast food or stop the obesity problem. It's up to the parents, if they want to take their kid out for fast food, then it's their choice. The govt's place is not to regulate what people put on their plate. Do you really want the govt to tell you what to eat? The food pyramid is a joke, even the revamped one. Think about all the food poisoning and recalls that happen. The govt can't regulate everyone's food choices. It's called Personal Responsibility. No one forces you to eat junk food, stop asking the govt to make all the decisions for you.

2 years

I stopped taking my older child to McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc about 11 years ago, because I knew it wasn't healthy. To this day at 19, my son won't eat any of it becauase he doesn't like it. Now, my younger child, who is 9, LOVES McDonalds because of the...wait for it...toy! Her grandfather takes her there once in while (I keep telling him not to) and she won't eat the food, but she will play with the toy. But through the years it has been mydecision, not governments.

kea718 2 years

I'm so sick of the government banning foods and other food related items. We have a choice as to what goes in our mouths (or our kids mouths) and some people make the wrong choice, that doesn't mean the government should take away all the wrong choices. Not everyone feeds their kids Happy Meals every day and I don't see what's so bad about once in a while letting them have it as a treat. As a kid the toy was the best part. I really didn't care all that much about the food. Also, now McDonald's Happy Meals come with fries OR apple slices (with a caramel dipping sauce that if you have an issue with you can always throw away) and soft drink, lowfat milk, OR apple juice.

Heather Maddan 2 years

I don't take my kids to McDonald's, but I also don't freak out if they have fast food with a friend on a rare occasion. I'd be happier to see the ban be on the preservatives in the food rather than the toy!

verr0nica 2 years

I'm with you sour cherry; My parents always prepared meals at home and we had plenty of healthy snacks like fruit at home; soda was a treat, only to be consumed at parties, not even restaurants. McDonalds was a treat that was given to us maybe once every couple of months and the toy was part of the experience. Teaching a child to make better decisons is the parents role.

kmckay 2 years

stella- I agree. PARENTS need to be parents and have the say in what children are eating. It's not like children are going to McDonalds on their own and buying this crap. The government should not be making decisions like this for the public. They should control food quality, safety and make sure that food is properly labled.

stellaRuby 2 years

Parents should be responsible for what their children eat- not the government.

amber512 2 years

And the nutritional guidelines probably won't even be that strict. Especially since they count french fries as a vegetable! Nothing wrong with discouraging crap!

onlysourcherry 2 years

Woah there. My parents fed me healthy, home cooked meals 99% of the time, and every so often (like once every few months) we would go to Mc Donalds and I LOVED it, including the stupid plastic toy inside. I don't think I was abused by my parents because I had a rare treat of junk food.

weffie 2 years

How could anyone think it's a bad idea to discourage kids from eating that shit? I don't know if taking a toy away will really work, but any idea is worth trying! It's so disgusting to me that anyone can knowingly eat stuff that never decomposes (?!) but filling kids' growing bodies with pure preservatives, fat and sodium should be considered child abuse.

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