Happy Meal Toys Banned by Big Brother?

Of course, it had to happen in San Francisco! As of December 2011, restaurants like McDonalds that give toys with children's meals will have to either provide a healthy meal or remove the toy.

The New York Times explains the nutritional requirements,

"Under the bill, any meals will have to have fewer than 600 calories, fewer than 640 milligrams of sodium and less than 35 percent of calories from fat (with an exception for some healthy items, like nuts)."

Lets look at the nutrition in a hamburger happy meal with fries and a coke, using the nutrition facts provided by McDonalds:

Hamburger: 250 calories, 100 calories from fat, and 520 mg of sodium.

Small fries: 230 calories, 100 calories from fat, 160 mg of sodium

small coke: 150 calories, 10 mg of sodium and 40 g of sugar

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Totals 630 calories, 200 calories of fat, and 690 mgs of sodium

Obviously, a hamburger happy meal is over the calories and sodium requirements by a small fraction. It is barely under the percent of calories from fat at almost 32%.

By substituting a 1% milk, you would reduce the calories to 580 but increase the sodium to 815 and the fat percent to 220, which is .05 less than 35%.

Minute Maid apple juice would get you under on the calories and the sodium would go up 5 mg.

Orange juice would maintain the 630 calories and the fat would go down 10 mg which is still too much.

If you substitute apple dippers for fries, you end up with 500 calories, 105 calories from fat, and 565 mgs of sodium. The fat percentage would be 21%. This choice, to a layman's calculations, would qualify for a Happy Meal Toy!

Click here to read an article about how McDonald's Happy Meals do not decompose.

Most people resent the government telling them how to discipline their children. Do you think they will tolerate this type of interference in their nutritional choices for their children? The authorities tell us that 30% of our children are obese and headed for serious health problems. Is this the way to counteract this trend? Tell me what you think.

Resources:
Jessee Kinley, "Happy Meals must be Healthy Meals, Restaurants told," New York Times.