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Making good on a threat it issued this summer, a public advocacy group has filed a class-action lawsuit against McDonald's to stop the burger giant from putting toys in Happy Meals.
Last June, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) warned McDonald's that unless the company immediately stopped using Happy Meal toys to market to kids, it was going to take McDonald's to court. No surprise: McDonald's didn't exactly "cease and desist," as any parent who's recently stumbled over a cheap plastic Transformer on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night will tell you.
CSPI contends that by luring kids in with the promise of toys, McDonald's is encouraging them "to develop a preference for nutritionally poor Happy Meals," according to its press release. While McDonald's counters that parents can choose healthier Happy Meals for their kids, such as those that include low-fat milk and apple slices, CSPI charges that fries and sodas are essentially the default option at the majority of McDonald's franchises, and no such Happy Meal is healthy for a four- to eight-year-old.
According to CSPI, a Happy Meal with a cheeseburger, fries, and a soda has seven grams of saturated fat, 35 grams of sugar, and 640 calories, approximately 200 more calories that would be considered reasonable for a child's lunch.
For its part, the home of Ronald McDonald doesn't exactly appear to be quaking in its big red shoes. The company issued a four-sentence press release in response to the suit, saying "We are confident that parents understand and appreciate that Happy Meals are a fun treat, with quality, right-sized food choices for their children that can fit into a balanced diet."
On a seemingly unrelated note, Nation's Restaurant News has reported that McDonald's is seeking to aggressively expand its operations in China. The chain wants to open upwards of 200 restaurants there next year and to ultimately double its total number of restaurants to 2,000 in the next two years.
It does seems somewhat unrelated to the CSPI lawsuit. Then again, there are a lot of kids in China.
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12-16-2010 @5:32PM Michael Schmitt said... Dear CSPI: I grew up with McDonald's Happy Meals and their toys. I'm now 37 and not obese or even overweight. Thank you for being the Grinch during Christmas, and absolving parents from needing to have any control in their children's lives...
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12-17-2010 @5:24PM Cat Carter said... Well said, Michael!
I'm 49, have eaten McDs since before they even had Happy Meals, and am in good shape! I have 4 kids ranging from 5 to 19. They have enjoyed McDs too and are also in fine health. Sometimes I have bought the toys;sometimes not.Sometimes I have bought the food;sometimes not. Sometimes I have even just bought the $1 toy and taken that alone home! If the suit is really about health then all the fatty/sweet stuff at McDs (as well as other places,even sit-down restaurants, should be addressed). And what about Carl's Jr? Where the meat on one burger is like Heart-attack-to-go?
But that is not addressed as one presumes some culpability/cognizance on the part of the purchaser...so unless these kids are being enticed off the street as they walk home alone then that act of discretion belongs to the adult who drove his/her own children over to McDs! Quit blaming the restaurant for adding a toy if you're foolish enough to give into your kids' every demand/desire. McDs has more nutritious offerings than fries and coke/shake you have the option to order as well!
As a mom, my one wish is that the toy would be free if it comes with the combo...or that if we choose to eat we can choose with/without toy just like we can choose with/without cheese and have the price adjusted as such.
But if parents continue to opt out on using their brains and instead continue to take it to government to sort out, they should not be surprised later when the government does decide that parents obviously do not want to carry their parental responsibilities any more and declares the government will now make all parental choices.
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12-18-2010 @3:53PM Tina said... It's not Mc Donalds making kids fat, it's lazy parents who ONLY feed their children fast food. A child is not in charge of what they eat, the parent is. Most parents realize that Mc Donalds Happy Meal is fine every now and then as a special treat or when your on an outing or something. I raised two daughters who occasionally ate Happy Meals and never in all that time they demand me to take them there JUST for a toy. That is ridiculous to think that getting rid of the toy is going to solve the problem of childhood obsesity. Not all parents realize how bad fast food is ALL the time, and it is pretty expensive to feed a family as healthy as you should, but most of us try and do our best to provide healthy meals for our kids on what we can afford. It ain't easy folks, but it can be done. Don't make fast food your main plan for meals! And please stop blaming Mc Donalds.
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12-23-2010 @12:43AM Lisa James said... You know, it's interesting that CSPI is wasting their time going after the fast food giant for marketing to kids when it's parents who are buying the food. If you want to make a difference for kids, educate the parents on making healthy weight loss recipes that the whole family will love and being better examples for their kids.
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