On November 2nd, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a city ordinance banning the inclusion of toys with children's meals that do not meet certain nutritional guidelines. Hoping to improve the way American children eat, the Board passed these measures in order to create an incentive for restaurants, chains, and food providers to improve their abysmal nutritional records. The provisions of the ordinance stipulate that toys can be included with children's meals, so long as "the meal contains less than 600 calories, has less than 640 milligrams of sodium and if less than 35 percent of the calories are derived from fat (less than 10 percent from saturated fat)." Additionally, "the meals must contain a half-cup or more of fruit and three-quarters of a cup or more of vegetables. A breakfast meal must contain at least a half-cup of fruit or vegetables" (source).
The ordinance passed by 8-3, meaning that San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom's planned veto will be overturned. Unsurprisingly, many fast-food industry groups have been speaking out against the ruling. McDonald's spokeswoman Danya Proud said "We are extremely disappointed with this decision. It's not what our customers want, nor is it something they asked for." The group Free to Choose Our Meals is also trying to stop the toy ban. Many groups supporting the ban have pointed out that "fast-food restaurants spent $161 million advertising to children under 12 and an estimated $360 million on toys distributed with their meals in 2006" (source), and that the industry's self regulation has thus far been unsuccessful in combating childhood obesity. Both sides seem to be equally passionate, but as the ordinance doesn't go into effect until December 2011, there will be plenty of time for arguing and appealing. At any rate, an interesting case to keep an eye on!
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