‘Happy Meals’ are in trouble - no toys until healthy

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Ken Yeager, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in California, has proposed banning the free toy that comes with McDonald's Happy Meals in an effort to curb childhood obesity.

Yeager told the LA Times, a Los Angeles newspaper, "People ask why I want to take toys out of the hands of children... we now know that 70% of the kids that are overweight or obese will be overweight or obese as adults. Why would we want to burden anybody with a lifetime of chronic illness?"

"The proposal would forbid the inclusion of a toy in any restaurant meal that has more than 485 calories, more than 600 mg of salt or high amounts of sugar or fat." The board is scheduled to vote on April 27.

That would mean no toys for any Happy Meal, even the healthier options that include fresh fruit, but eating the proposed no-toy Happy Meal or unhappy meal could still lead to obesity based on Yeager's premise.

The proposal has caused a great deal of friction as have other food bans in the name of health like the current attacks through the United States on trans fats, corn syrup, sugar and salt.

Take a look at Yeager's interview with Jot Condie, CEO and President of the California Restaurant Association, in a news segment "Taking the 'Happy' Out of Happy Meals?": http://bit.ly/9xme3x

In response to this clip on YouTube, many have expressed outrage:

- "I don't know... my nephew always wants McDonald's for the Chicken Nuggets. Hes far more interest in the playground than the cheap toy in the kids meal. The toy determines what meal the kid wants, but_ not that he wants the meal in the first place."

- "Typical fucking liberals. Thank_ god I live in Florida."

- "Why don't they just take_ away 100% of our freedom right away. Parents don't have to be responsible!"