By Kristin Avery
A hot button topic that began a few months ago- and continues to be a topic of conversation- is the removal of toys from McDonalds Happy Meals in San Francisco, California and it looks like this issue will not be going away any time soon.
The placement of toys in Happy Meals was initially challenged by a Sacramento mothers’ class-action law suit. According to the Los Angeles Times the lawsuit alleges that,”McDonald’s exploits very young California children and harms their health by advertising unhealthy Happy Meals with toys directly to them.” There are many that stand behind this class-action lawsuit believing that toys are contributing to the increasing obesity rate among children. Based on this belief, those children wouldn’t want to eat the unhealthy hamburger and French fries if it didn’t come with a toy.
Those opposed to toy bans include San Francisco’s mayor. In an article titled “Mayor Vetoes Happy Meal Toy Ban in San Francisco,” San Francisco Mayor’s, Gavin Newsome is reported as having vetoed the bill that would enforce a ban on toys in Happy Meals. Newsome goes on further to say, “Parents, not politicians, should decide what their children eat, especially when it comes to spending their own money.” Shortly after vetoing the bill, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors approved legislation that would prevent toys from being placed in Happy Meals unless certain nutritional guidelines were met.
The California Restaurant Association is fighting the proposed ban on restaurant toys which has led to a powerful advertising campaign depicting a police officer taking away a child’s toy. According the San Francisco Chronicle, “Politicians in Arizona and Florida are pushing legislation prohibiting cities and counties in their states from casting cheap figurines out of their cardboard, grease-stained fast food boxes. Yes, that’s right. They’re banning toy bans. “
I feel particularly drawn to this story because as a child I recall the excitement of anticipating which toys I would find in my Happy Meal. One time that sticks out in my mind is when the movie Bambi was re-released in theatres. I wanted to collect all the characters featured in McDonald’s Happy Meals. Even though I had to get a couple skunks, I eventually collected them all. It is hard for me to imagine a day when children wouldn’t be able to experience that same excitement.
The threat of widespread removal of toys in McDonalds Happy Meal makes me wonder how far government and other organizations are willing to go in order to control or eating habits. I believe that we are entering into a unique age of food monitoring. The first lady, Michelle Obama, addressed the National Restaurant Association this past September. She discussed her “Let’s Move!” campaign, which is aimed at finding comprehensive solutions to combat childhood obesity. We know that there is a definite separation of church and state but what about the separation of food and state? What are your thoughts? Do you think it’s a good or bad thing to have organizations intervene and dictate what we eat and collect?
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