Happy Meals Not so Happy in San Francisco

It seems the board of supervisors in San Francisco has decided that they can make better choices children than their parents can. It seems Happy Meals won't be so happy in San Francisco.

On November 2, 2010 the San Francisco board of supervisors voted 8-3 to pass a veto proof law to place restrictions on meals for children that come with free toys. Your child can no longer get a soda and fries with their Happy Meal in San Francisco and also get a free toy.

I am seriously left to wonder, where does this stop? As the parent of a now teenage child, fast food was a treat for my child during her Happy Meal years. We had pretty well balanced meals at home and often, even on her trips to fast food restaurants her choice for a meal was a salad versus a burger. She was not offered sodas at home and when we went to restaurants her choice of a soda or chocolate milk was again, a treat for her.

As a parent it is my job to make good choices in my child's diet and if on occasion, I wanted to give her a treat of French fries and a soda then that was up to me, not the local government who knew nothing of me, my child or how we lived.

It is clear there is an obesity problem among our young people and I am all for not allowing sodas to be sold in machines at schools. I, as a parent am not there to monitor my child consuming products out of vending machines but in a fast food restaurant, I was there with her until she was old enough to drive herself to these establishments on her own.

I believe most parents are conscious of what they are feeding their children, the health risks involved as well as the benefits of a good, balanced diet. Besides, most parents don't want to deal with a child on a sugar high, so more often than not, these items are limited in most households.

If the government feels that a parent is putting their child at risk by failing to give them proper nutrition then they need to step in, have CPS check the home and determine if the parents are fit to be raising said child.

Happy Meals are not the cause of obesity and one Happy Meal is not going to make or break the well being of a child. We trust parents with their children yet now San Francisco board of supervisors is telling parents that their choices for their children are not to be trusted to allow their children treats from time to time?

Maybe, the obesity problem in this country would improve with a better economy. Parents who are at poverty level can afford to feed their children properly. Sadly hamburger and pasta are still the cheapest things in the supermarket along with things such as Ramen noodles and hot dogs. Where is the nutritional value there? Most parents would put leaner cuts of meat on the table and more fresh fruits and vegetables if they were able to afford them. I think we need to look at where the real problem lies in this case.

In a country that is supposed to be free, but can still pass laws telling parents how they can offer their children a treat. when the time will come that the government will decide the adults are too fat and just outlaw French fries and soda completely?

It's a shame that instead of worrying about putting their citizens to work that the San Francisco board of supervisors found they were better served by impeding free choice of their citizens. Happy Meals are not so happy in San Francisco.