It’s one of the biggest treats a kid can have.  Not only do you get a tasty burger and some of the world’s greatest fries, but you also get a free toy!  The classic McDonald’s Happy Meal is a staple of the average American childhood, and those little Happy Meal toys have always been a surprising amount of fun.  However, if Santa Clara County supervisor Ken Yeager has his way, the fun stops here.  He wants to ban the Happy Meal from his county!

Actually, the ban isn’t specific to the Happy Meal or McDonald’s; Yeager wants to ban the inclusion of toys from any meal that has over 485 calories, 600mg of salt, or high amounts of sugar and fat.  That list covers every Happy Meal you can buy, even the ones with apple sticks rather than fries.  It also probably covers all school lunches, which are more commonly eaten and are probably more of a cause of obesity in kids.

I know, it seems unAmerican, and possibly even a bit draconian, but Yeager has his reasons for wanting to ban toys from the dozen or so restaurants in his jurisdiction.  “People ask why I want to take toys out of the hands of children,” said Yeager, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.  “But 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?”

While the goal is noble, making McDonald’s a scapegoat for obesity… yet again… won’t change anything.  The problem isn’t McDonald’s or fast food in general, it’s all the other food that’s getting eaten.  When none of the food is high quality, then you can’t blame one specific factor for fatness.

Tags: Happy Meal, McDonald’s, Happy Meal toys, Santa Clara, California, Happy Meal toys banned, Happy Meal banning in California, Ken Yeager, Santa Clara County

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