Illegal Happy Meals

[mhsjax]

Absolutely! Schools should actually be held to a higher standard than a fast food restaurant. I may be older than the hills, but I remember when I was younger, schools did not sell Mountain Dew, chocolate bars and Zingers. Sure, our lunch food was only one step up from hospital food, but how can school boards across the country allow this to go on? I guess it's all about money. They get a hefty commission from companies such as Coca-Cola, so that makes it okay to poison our kids on a daily basis.


I agree. McDonalds has done more than most fast food restaurants in offering more healthy alternatives. That doesn't make their advertising methods okay. And the ban is only on pairing up the toy and unhealthy meal. This won't solve the problem, but it may help a little bit. In my opinion, it's a first step at the very least.

I can't honestly believe that you could give the govt that much control, how about you go after the parents with the same determination. Its those parents buying the happy meal not the kids. They should be accountable. But oh wait, the blessed Gov't will fix it for us. It just amazes me what people will let the Gov't get away with.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

No it actually won't because the parents who go to McD's and get their kids a happy meal will still go there and get that happy meal and just buy the toy for a seperate charge. This will change nothing about the eating habits of anyone.

This is why, in my opinion, this ban is silly. It simply won't produce the desired effect at all to fix the overall problem of the reduction of obesity.

I'd be curious--for curiosity sake--if it could be declared unconstitutional...though I don't have any grounds for that. As I said--I'm just curious if it could be. But I don't envision a Supreme Court caring to hear a case about a child's right to a free toy with meal. I'm sure they have much better cases to hear.

 

[Wall-E1]

No it actually won't because the parents who go to McD's and get their kids a happy meal will still go there and get that happy meal and just buy the toy for a seperate charge. This will change nothing about the eating habits of anyone.

Well, I don't think you can say with certainty that it will have no effect. Many kids see the toys on commercials and ask to go to McDonalds based on this. If this type of advertising isn't inserted in children's programming, kids may not want to get happy meals as often. It may not help much, but I think it will at least have a minor effect. Advertising is very powerful. McDonalds wouldn't be so aggressive with their toy offerings if they didn't believe that it was directly contributing to sales of their happy meals. They know that without toys, they will sell less happy meals.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Parents are supposed to parent their kids not the government.

With one out of four children now being considered obese, obviously the parents aren't..

Just the other day I heard on the news that obesity - in both children and adults - is currently the number one health crisis that is facing this country.. Something has to change.. What - and how - I'm not sure..

Education not dictatorship. That is what will change things.
The Gov't seems to think that I can't do a good job at taking care of my kids, so they are going to tell me I can't give my kids a certain kind of food. When that doesn't solve the problem they will tell me I can't do X,Y, and Z. It's a vicious circle. All the while, we are losing control over our own destiny because some houty touty big wig seems to think he knows more then me.

Realize too that these same people deemed french fries(Potatoes) and Ketchup vegetables. Which qualifies in a school lunch as part of a "well balanced meal". So fries at school are good but fries at McDonalds are bad.
If that isn't screwed up, I don't know what is.

 

[luvmy3]

Well, I don't think you can say with certainty that it will have no effect. Many kids see the toys on commercials and ask to go to McDonalds based on this. If this type of advertising isn't inserted in children's programming, kids may not want to get happy meals as often. It may not help much, but I think it will at least have a minor effect. Advertising is very powerful. McDonalds wouldn't be so aggressive with their toy offerings if they didn't believe that it was directly contributing to sales of their happy meals. They know that without toys, they will sell less happy meals.

I don't believe they do have commercials highlighting the toy, at least on TV. I could be wrong because I honestly don't see that many McD commercials. Anyway, its become such a staple in the American's child diet that I don't believe it will change anything because believe it or not the kids like the food. Its probably all moot anyway, all they have to do is drop the price of the Happy Meal and add it back in and list it as a toy on the reciept. I'm sure that McD's legal team has been expecting this and has a loophole planned. I stand by my statement that this will not change anything about the eating habits of anyone.

 

[mhsjax]

Come to think of it, they don't show the toys on TV. It has been probably years since they have. In fact they show kids getting the healthier choices on TV with no mention of the happy meal toy.

 

[Wall-E1]

Well you better watch out, if you give the govt that much control, soon they will be telling you not to pack chips or cookies in their lunch.

I'm not worried about that. I'm not paranoid. Remember, they are not banning happy meals. They are only banning a targeted form of advertising. So, it is a jump to assume that the govt will begin banning chips and cookies.

I can't honestly believe that you could give the govt that much control, how about you go after the parents with the same determination. Its those parents buying the happy meal not the kids. They should be accountable. But oh wait, the blessed Gov't will fix it for us. It just amazes me what people will let the Gov't get away with.

I honestly can't believe that you feel that this "could give the govt that much control". It is just a responsible law that seeks to stop a certain type of advertising method that causes our children to become less healthy. We are not giving up our freedoms here.

This is why, in my opinion, this ban is silly. It simply won't produce the desired effect at all to fix the overall problem of the reduction of obesity.

I don't think the ban is silly, but I agree with you that it won't have a huge effect and solve the problem entirely. But even if it helps a little, it's worth it. If it gets 1% or 2% of kids out there to make better food choices, then it will have been worth it.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I don't believe they do have commercials highlighting the toy, at least on TV. I could be wrong because I honestly don't see that many McD commercials. Anyway, its become such a staple in the American's child diet that I don't believe it will change anything because believe it or not the kids like the food. Its probably all moot anyway, all they have to do is drop the price of the Happy Meal and add it back in and list it as a toy on the reciept. I'm sure that McD's legal team has been expecting this and has a loophole planned. I stand by my statement that this will not change anything about the eating habits of anyone.

They didn't used to have commercials but they do now.
The toys have a line item on the menu now anyway because of them having boy toys and girl toys. the dollar amount shows up as $0.00. It would be an easy fix.
I figure the fast food industry has been prepping for this since they banned toys in cereal boxes. I honestly am surprised it took this long to make the leap from cereal to happy meals.

 

[EllenFrasier]

Can't you just see parents smuggling little toys into the restaurant because they don't want their kids to be disappointed?

Do they really think parents are buying the happy meals for the food? Do they think they are buying it for the toy that falls apart on the way home? Why are they buying those happy meals anyway???

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

They didn't used to have commercials but they do now.
The toys have a line item on the menu now anyway because of them having boy toys and girl toys. the dollar amount shows up as $0.00. It would be an easy fix.
I figure the fast food industry has been prepping for this since they banned toys in cereal boxes. I honestly am surprised it took this long to make the leap from cereal to happy meals.

I don't buy run of the mill cereal anymore--but when did that happen?

I do know that you can "buy" specially priced items with so many UPC symbols...but really, there are no goodies in the cereal anymore?

Are cracker jack prizes still available?

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Come to think of it, they don't show the toys on TV. It has been probably years since they have. In fact they show kids getting the healthier choices on TV with no mention of the happy meal toy.

they do, but McDonalds is not as blatant about it as Burger King. Wendy's is the most subtle.

Can you tell I watch a lot of TV?? LOL

 

[luvmy3]

They didn't used to have commercials but they do now.
The toys have a line item on the menu now anyway because of them having boy toys and girl toys. the dollar amount shows up as $0.00. It would be an easy fix.
I figure the fast food industry has been prepping for this since they banned toys in cereal boxes. I honestly am surprised it took this long to make the leap from cereal to happy meals.

I totally forgot about the cereal toys. I wonder how many people stopped buying cookie crisp and lucky charms for their kids because there wasn't a toy in them? I'm guessing that didn't change much of anything just like this won't.

 

[EllenFrasier]

I figure the fast food industry has been prepping for this since they banned toys in cereal boxes. I honestly am surprised it took this long to make the leap from cereal to happy meals.

They banned the toys in cereal boxes??!?!?!?!?!? Say it isn't so!!!

 

[Sanchez]

I agree. McDonalds has done more than most fast food restaurants in offering more healthy alternatives. That doesn't make their advertising methods okay. And the ban is only on pairing up the toy and unhealthy meal. This won't solve the problem, but it may help a little bit. In my opinion, it's a first step at the very least.

That's the quote of the day. I do not think you have considered the consequences of laws such as this. Though I think that the ban on certain cigarette advertising is a violation of free speech, at least the sale of cigarettes to minors is illegal.

I have seen several McDonald's commercials that appear to be directed towards African Americans. Should that type of advertisig be restricted because someone arbitrarily decides that there are too many obese African Americans?

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Can't you just see parents smuggling little toys into the restaurant because they don't want their kids to be disappointed?

Do they really think parents are buying the happy meals for the food? Do they think they are buying it for the toy that falls apart on the way home? Why are they buying those happy meals anyway???

I carry Wiki-sticks in my purse for such occasions! LOL

 

[mhsjax]

they do, but McDonalds is not as blatant about it as Burger King. Wendy's is the most subtle.

Can you tell I watch a lot of TV?? LOL

I watch a lot to and I have seen a toy advertised in years. Burger King is too busy with that crazy looking King thing running around. There is no mention of toys what so ever in the commercials that I see.

 

[disneymom3]

Its a shame that she didn't know that you can buy the toys seperately from the Happy Meal

How about CA ban parents because that is who is saying yes and buying the Happy Meals. Who knows maybe that will be next

IMO, CA is pretty darn close to that. They have a big push for MANDATORY preschool. Heaven forbid we choose to parent our children the way we see fit.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

They banned the toys in cereal boxes??!?!?!?!?!? Say it isn't so!!!

Oh yeah. Years ago!!! they have slowly begun trickling back in though.

 

[C.Ann]

Education not dictatorship. That is what will change things.

Educate who? The children? They aren't the ones in charge of their lives, so I don't see where that would be terribly effective either..

The parents? Many of them are obese themselves - and unless they are living under a rock, they are certainly aware of what constitutes good choices and what doesn't.. You can't watch television for 2 hours without hearing about the obesity health crisis and what people need to do to lead healthier lives - as well as protect the lives of their children - over and over and over again..

So if the kids aren't in control - and the parents don't care - who is left? Unfortunately, only the government.. I'm not saying that I like it - or even necessarily agree with it - but if parents don't care enough about their childrens health when it comes to obesity, isn't that a form of child abuse, child neglect, or child endangerment?

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I watch a lot to and I have seen a toy advertised in years. Burger King is too busy with that crazy looking King thing running around. There is no mention of toys what so ever in the commercials that I see.

The king is scary!!! But during the day on the kids channels I've seen the commercials for toys. Especially the big names. Sponge bob from BK comes to mind. McD's and BK both run several different ad campaigns depending on the time of day.

IMO, CA is pretty darn close to that. They have a big push for MANDATORY preschool. Heaven forbid we choose to parent our children the way we see fit.

Love it. They want to make pre-K mandatory but they are firing all their teachers?? Heck, here kindergarten isn't even mandatory!
And DH wanted to move to CA.