Photo: Breakmould, Flickr.

Fast food restaurants know where their bread is buttered -- with the kids! The chains have been using toys as little-kid bait for decades, and it's an effective tactic: Children have an adorable propensity for confusing junk for treasure, which is why kiddie meals can be the highlight of their day.

Most of these meals fall into two categories: interactive advertisements for recent blockbusters or beloved television shows, and lame.

We're focusing on the latter, those toys over the years that were uninspired, nonsensical, or just plain disappointing. Each of these so-called "collectibles" currently languishes in the corners of garages, the bottoms of landfills and in the remote, digital wastelands of eBay.

A new report shouldn't be the least bit surprising, but it is definitely sad.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has published a new study about the reality of kids' menus, which is jam-packed with fatty doom. They've found that 93% of the kid' options exceed the 430 calories (a third of the recommended daily calories for children from 4-8) at 13 big US chains like Taco Bell, KFC, and Burger King. And they're not talking about 10 or 20 calories over.

For example, a "Big Kids" meal with a double cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milk at Burger King weighs in at 910 calories -- which is over half the calories a kid should take in for one day. Chilis has one that's over 1,000 calories. It's just a sea of fat to weigh down on the little ones. Also beware of those who refuse to release nutritional information like: Applebee's, TGI Friday's, Outback, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and IHOP.

But if you're looking for something better -- Subway led the pack with its refusal to give soft drinks with kids' meals and only a third of their meals exceed 430 calories.

[via Expatriate's Kitchen]

In another effort to stem criticism about their lack of concern for kids' nutrition, McDonald's has created a Global Panel of Moms to discuss issues like health, nutrition and overall well-being. The nine women on the panel come from six countries, including Argentina, Germany and China, and are a diverse group in terms of accomplishment. Four are former Olympians, one is a cooking show personality, and others include an artist, a childhood development expert and a PTA (a school parent organization) president. McDonalds says that they plan to establish additional panels for individual countries. It sounds as though they plan to use these panels to brainstorm new and healthier offerings for kids, such as the packaged apple slices that were introduced as an alternative to fries over a year ago.

Of course, it remains to be seen as to how much McDonald's will change its menu. Healthy or not, their offerings are still popular, and that is something that is difficult for a business to even consider walking away from.

In the world of food trends, there are many shooting stars. Some of them last and some fade quickly, but the most noticeable ones are those that seem to appear out of nowhere are very suddenly everywhere. Yogurt is not counted amongst the beacons that are this year's food trends, but it is becoming both more popular and more prevalent day by day. In fact, consumption of yogurt has more than doubled in the past two decades, and more than 20% of people eat it at least twice a week. According to USA Today, it looks like consumption could hit a new high with a slew of new yogurt products hitting the market.

The heath benefits are being incorporated into everything from cereals to "fresh yogurt" toothpaste. Fast food restaurants already have some yogurts on their menus, but McDonalds is planning to add drinkable yogurt, as well. It's even working its way into pet foods. Yogurt is an incredibly versatile product with a unique flavor and properties similar to many other dairy products, from cream and milk to cheese. It can add moisture to baked goods, richness to soups and it makes and outstanding base for dips. It doesn't look as though there is anything to hold yogurt back from becoming one of the most used and enjoyed products of, at the very least, the next year.