Yahoo News reported yesterday that San Francisco has passed a law putting nutritional requirements on Happy Meals.
According to the article:
"The law, like an ordinance passed earlier this year in nearby Santa Clara County, would require that restaurant kids' meals meet certain nutritional standards before they could be sold with toys."
This law was passed in the same state that tried to legalize marijuana.
According to the government:
"The Center for Science in the Public Interest this summer threatened to sue McDonald's if it did not stop using Happy Meal toys to lure children into its restaurants. A lawyer for that group said it is on track to file the lawsuit in the next several weeks.
"McDonald's debuted the Happy Meal in the United States in 1979 with toys like the "McDoodler" stencil and the "McWrist" wallet. Modern offerings have included themed items from popular films like "Shrek" or sought-after toys like Transformers, Legos or miniature Ty Beanie Babies."
First of all, parents are responsible for what their children eat. No one is forcing parents to take their children to McDonald's. If the parents are not capable of telling their children 'no', the problem is greater than where they are eating. It is not up to the government to control our diets. I understand that obesity is a problem with our children. I believe that diet is part of that problem (along with taking recess out of schools and children staying inside playing video games), but the problem is also related to some of the ingredients found in our food that were not there in previous generations--high fructose corn syrup for instance.
It is just amazing to me that the same people who want to legalize marijuana (which has been proved harmful to brain activity) want to ban Happy Meals. Happy meals may not be the best choice for parents, but it is the parents' choice. The government does not have the right to interfere with the free market and override parents' food choices.
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