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Banning Happy Meals

post #1 of 46
4/19/10 at 12:23pm
Thread Starter 
I seen this on my local news (strange since it is just one county in California)

http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/health/pedia...-meals-unhappy

It not so much banning the happy meal (or whatever kids meals are called in other fast food places) but stopping the advertising / offering of a toy as incentive to buy the meal.

They showed some of the nutrition values to parents and they were shocked to learn that most happy meals have 600-800 calories (the range is 520-840ish) and some had 1400mg of sodium but yet still turned around and said the government should leave it to them to choose foods for their children.
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post #2 of 46
4/19/10 at 12:48pm
I haven't "McDonald'd" in so long, I can't remember if I liked it or not.
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post #3 of 46
4/19/10 at 12:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skippymjp View Post
I haven't "McDonald'd" in so long, I can't remember if I liked it or not.
same here
But I did eat a burger for the first time in probably two years a few weeks ago, and it was a burger from steak and shake...now all I can think about is eating burgers because it was like the most amazing thing I've ever tasted, considering how most of the time I eat vegetarian foods that are home made, and I make them pretty simple. That stuff is addicting, I am sorry I had a burger now, because not only do I crave it, but I'm also craving all these heavy cheesy or meaty foods and I am doing things like adding extra cheese to my usual foods ..
I have to constantly keep reminding myself how poisoned with pesticides and hormones, not to mention bleached, that meat is in order to keep myself from going to get another burger...
And when I was a kid, I know I never would have wanted McDonalds if it wasn't for the toy
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post #4 of 46
4/19/10 at 1:15pm
People who sit around and think up that kind of stuff need to get a real job.
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post #5 of 46
4/19/10 at 1:20pm
You can buy the toy separately from what I remember. You always could around here. My mother always just bought me the toy when we went in for ice cream. This was because we were poor, and it didn't cost as much money as the meal. In the end I ended up with a better diet.

Honestly, you should allow the parents to decide what their children eat. I would be against banning of the happy meal. It was so much fun to get a simple piece of plastic as a kid. I didn't get many toys or things that other kids did so it was cool that I could get happy meal toys too. If you ban toys with food what is next? Will they ban the crayons that restaurants give children? I understand that they are targeting the fast food chains because of health issues. Honestly, I don't believe a government campaign like this will replace parenting. In the end I don't think it will work and it just takes something away from kids that they currently enjoy.

Now I agree with the posting of nutritional values on the menus at restaurants, because its allows you as the consumer to make a decision.
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post #6 of 46
4/19/10 at 1:52pm
Thread Starter 
As I mentioned, while the news report was labelled banning happy meals, the politician was more against advertising happy meals and using the toys as an incentive to buy them - the food would still stay on the menu (minus the toy), but I was shocked with the nutritional values of the meals, I know they are high for adult meals, but assumed (I don't have kids to feed them to so don't pay attention) that the kids ones would be high but not that high
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post #7 of 46
4/19/10 at 1:56pm
Several places have added fruit and veggies as options in the kids meals now. So they're at least making a slight effort.

The toy gimmick works. Can't blame a business for using something that works.

But yes, ultimately the parents should know better. But chances are that if the family is eating fast food enough for the kids meals to be an issue in their childrens diets that they don't really care that much as to what their children or themselves eat. It's certainly no secret that fast food isn't good for you.
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post #8 of 46
4/19/10 at 1:57pm
Thread Starter 
One of the meals with apples had more than another with fries (I think it was chicken nuggets and fries and a burger and apple slices)
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post #9 of 46
4/19/10 at 2:02pm
This meal makes any of the burger meals look positively healthy:

Worst Restaurant Pasta Meals

The kids' pasta with alfredo sauce at The Cheesecake Factory is 1800 calories!
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post #10 of 46
4/19/10 at 2:10pm
Thread Starter 
do they offer a free toy to go with that
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post #11 of 46
4/19/10 at 4:33pm
Advertising makes no difference if people just don't buy. We didn't have fast food growing up, my nephews have it very rarely.
The 5 year old recognises the sign and asks but is always told no, he gets over it.
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post #12 of 46
4/20/10 at 10:56am
All I know is if they pass legislation like that in Michigan before I get all of my "How To Train Your Dragon" toys, there's going to be hell to pay.
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post #13 of 46
4/20/10 at 11:03am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Keycube View Post
All I know is if they pass legislation like that in Michigan before I get all of my "How To Train Your Dragon" toys, there's going to be hell to pay.
I don't think its even going to pass in California without worrying about is spreading across the whole US, and even then, I am sure they will still offer the toys somehow
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post #14 of 46
4/20/10 at 11:15am
When I was kid, way back, they used to offer toys in the cereal boxes. They dont any more because the kids were trying to eat them. If any of you middle agers can remember digging in the box to find the prize?
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post #15 of 46
4/20/10 at 11:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by icklemiss21 View Post
do they offer a free toy to go with that
Yeah, a free heart catheter.
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post #16 of 46
4/20/10 at 11:39am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by binkyhoo View Post
When I was kid, way back, they used to offer toys in the cereal boxes. They dont any more because the kids were trying to eat them. If any of you middle agers can remember digging in the box to find the prize?
I remember that and I am not that old, but we were never allowed unhealthier cereals, mostly wheetabix and cornflakes etc so the toy didn't get us unhealthy foods

Quote:
Originally Posted by mrblanche View Post
Yeah, a free heart catheter.
maybe that is what they want McDonalds to give with a happy meal? you should suggest it to them as a happy medium
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post #17 of 46
4/21/10 at 7:27am
I think that the choice ultimately should be up to the parents....If their problem is with the advertising of the 'free' toy well then thats just dumb. How many of us look at different products and the packaging and go for the 'prettier' one. Bright pretty colors and happy pictures attract more than drab miserable looking stuff. If the parents dont have enough control to say no and mean it because their kid wants a toy well thats their own fault. I know its my fault that everytime I take my daughters to Wal-Mart they expect something because I always find some cheap-o dohickey to get them whenever we go there. But when I say no....they know I mean it!
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post #18 of 46
4/21/10 at 10:12am
Many people just don't get it - the government now wants to control EVERY aspect of your life and when will it stop?????

Look at the writing on the walls people!
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post #19 of 46
4/21/10 at 10:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45 View Post
Many people just don't get it - the government now wants to control EVERY aspect of your life and when will it stop?????

Look at the writing on the walls people!
From what I see and read, the "people" are no more qualified to run things themselves so I figure it's best to go with the devil we know . . .
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post #20 of 46
4/21/10 at 10:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45 View Post
Many people just don't get it - the government now wants to control EVERY aspect of your life and when will it stop?????

Look at the writing on the walls people!
Universal suffrage means that if you don't like what they're doing, vote them out
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post #21 of 46
4/21/10 at 11:08am
I think I heard somewhere that Barack said he was going to be POTUS for the "next ten years or so." So that may be hard, at least for the next decade Skippy.
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post #22 of 46
4/21/10 at 2:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckblv View Post
I think I heard somewhere that Barack said he was going to be POTUS for the "next ten years or so." So that may be hard, at least for the next decade Skippy.
Well you see, that's the funny part. Being unsuccessful in voting people out of office, or voting favored people in, means one thing. It means that the majority of voters (majority being, the side that wins), are on the other side.

Simply put, any group that claims to represent "most Americans", but cannot generate the votes needed to get their viewpoint represented in government, obviously are not as representative of "most Americans" as they think themselves to be.
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post #23 of 46
4/21/10 at 10:57pm
I personally think it's a good thing to require restaurants to give nutritional information on their meals. Most people have no idea how many calories are in any number of foods. And some of them are really surprising.
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post #24 of 46
4/22/10 at 5:15am
More stupid government control. Heck, lets just ban everything. Make it real easy for all who can not think, breath or do anything for themselves
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post #25 of 46
4/22/10 at 5:25am
I want the government out of my business. I am 58, and when I was a kid, we had the same junk food as today. Only difference, we were outside playing and working our food off.

Today, there are hardly any kids outside playing. Sitting in front of a tv or computer working the hand controls.

When will this madness end? Get out of my kitchen, out of my choices for food. Parents, raise your own kids. It does not take a villiage. If the kid wants a happy meal and a toy, and you don't want them to have it, there is a word I heard a lot as a child it is called, "no".
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post #26 of 46
4/22/10 at 5:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by farleyv View Post
I want the government out of my business. I am 58, and when I was a kid, we had the same junk food as today. Only difference, we were outside playing and working our food off.

Today, there are hardly any kids outside playing. Sitting in front of a tv or computer working the hand controls.

When will this madness end? Get out of my kitchen, out of my choices for food. Parents, raise your own kids. It does not take a villiage. If the kid wants a happy meal and a toy, and you don't want them to have it, there is a word I heard a lot as a child it is called, "no".
Yes yes yes!!
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post #27 of 46
4/22/10 at 2:18pm
Take the money that it would cost to regulate that stuff and enforce those regulations, and put it into expanding, maintaining, and improving safety at city parks. Take the money that's being spent on research into things we already know about child health and lengthen the school day so they can put recess back in. Take the money that's being spent on grants for "developmental" programming for babies and put that toward basketballs, soccer balls, four-square balls, etc., basically just drown the schoolyards in things that roll and bounce. The problem isn't the cheeseburgers, it's that everything about our society is telling kids to hold still--it is just not normal for kids' idea of fun to be all about computer or video games or freaking Myspace. If we're going to regulate or tax something to try to make kids healthier, how about video games?

Hey, if we get kids unplugged and outside, that should take care of cyberbullying and cyberperverts too.
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post #28 of 46
4/22/10 at 5:12pm
Unfortunately many parents don't want to or say they don't have time to cook proper meals for their children and are quite happy to feed that garbage to their children and unfortunately they eat it themselves.

I'd be thrilled to see all those junk food/fast food businesses out of business permanently. When our daughter was little, she was told from day one that certain places which I won't name were junk/garbage food and we did not frequent those places. I worked a full time job and I came home and cooked a good meal for my family. On weekends I would cook extra meals so I wouldn't have to cooke every night. That was one of the responsibilities I took on when I made the decision to marry and have children - as a mother it was my job to feed them properly.
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post #29 of 46
4/22/10 at 6:01pm
Did anyone see "Food Inc." on PBS last night? they showed a family where both parents worked long hours and who said they wanted to feed their kids healthier meals, but couldn't afford it. The dollar menu at McDonalds filled the kids belly, and at the grocery store they were looking at over $1/lb for things like broccoli and pears.
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post #30 of 46
4/22/10 at 6:19pm
Thread Starter 
I did not see it (don't get PBS), I don't agree with that, we make affordable meals for much cheaper than when we eat at fast food places by shopping well, for example, tonight we made spaghetti

Extra lean ground beef $3
Onion, canned tomatoes, for sauce and lettuce for salad etc were less than $2 (considering the lettuce for a salad will make a 2nd meal etc)
a packet of spaghetti $1
bread (for garlic bread), herbs and butter we buy anyway for daily use but even including them, one typical fast food meal would cost that by itself, this made dinner for both of us and enough for lunch tomorrow
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