SF Moves Closer to Happy Meal Toy Ban

A San Francisco ordinance that would ban toys from McDonald's Happy Meals inched closer to reality this week as it passed a committee on its way to the full city board of supervisors.The next discussion and vote is scheduled for Oct. 19, and the legislation's sponsor, Supervisor Eric Mar, said it has enough support to withstand a potential veto from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. (Newsom has said he doesn't want to interfere with how McDonald's and other restaurants market their kid-targeted food).If it passes, the Healthy Meal Incentive legislation would require more than 100 restaurants in the Bay Area to stop offering toys and other prizes with kids meals, which are high in calories, fat, salt and sugar. Those meals would have to include fruits and vegetables to pass muster (and everyone can assume that ketchup won't count).McDonald's executives and other restaurateurs have opposed the ordinance, saying parents can make their own decisions about what their kids eat. Opponents of the legislation have dubbed the city Board of Supervisors the "food police." A number of McDonald's reps flew to San Francisco recently for a public meeting about the matter, calling the ban an unfair hindrance to its business and saying that the chain has already added healthier options to its menu.If enacted, the rule will be the second in California to take aim at fast-food chains and toys in kids' meals. (Santa Clara County in the Silicon Valley already voted to ban swag in kids' meals, though the law only covers a handful of restaurants in its jurisdiction.)McDonald's has a longstanding deal with DreamWorks Animation, and the two marketers work together to promote family flicks such as Shrek Forever After and How to Train Your Dragon. Separately, McDonald's hypes toy franchises and TV shows, with a current link to Strawberry Shortcake and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It's unclear what would happen to those relationships if a toy ban became law. The chain, however, likely would continue to cross-promote entertainment properties everywhere but San Francisco."As we have previously stated, we will continue to work with city officials to identify a solution to the very important topic of childhood obesity. [The proposed law in San Francisco] is not what our customers want, nor is it something they asked for," a McDonald's rep said in a statement.The situation on the West Coast comes at a difficult time for McDonald's. The Center for Science and the Public Interest just announced it is moving forward with its threat, issued this summer, to sue the fast feeder for using toys as marketing hooks for its Happy Meals. It took additional time to gather ammunition for the suit, CSPI reps said this week, so the past several months were a ducks-in-a-row delay and not cold feet.

Brand Marketing

SF Moves Closer to Happy Meal Toy Ban

T.L. Stanley

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

T.L. Stanley