Posted on 08/11/2010 7:55:01 AM PDT by SmithL
Toys that have been synonymous with kids' meals at fast-food restaurants could soon be banned in San Francisco under a new law proposed Tuesday if the food contains too much fat, sugar or salt.
Earlier this year, Santa Clara County became the first local government in the nation to adopt such a law, but it only applies to unincorporated areas and affects a handful of restaurants.
San Francisco's proposal could have a far greater impact. The restrictions would pertain to all restaurants but effectively would target the dozens of fast-food establishments in the city, among them McDonald's, Jack in the Box and Burger King.
San Francisco's legislation would not prohibit toy giveaways outright, but limit them to menu items that meet strict nutrition guidelines.
For example, no single item could contain more than 200 calories or 480 milligrams of sodium. An entire meal could have no more than 600 calories.
That would wipe out all but a handful of the Happy Meal offerings at McDonald's - and none of those options include a small hamburger. Several meet the calorie count, but would fail on the sodium content.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Can’t that be construed as “restraint of trade”??
Yeah. I’m gonna tell a little kid, “you chose a hamburger, so you’re not allowed to get a toy,” while his little sister, who got milk and apples, is playing with her toy? Stay out of our lives already!!
McDonald’s now offers Apple slices and juice with their Happy Meals. That is what I choose for my kid. Note that I choose that not government. Sure I may agree with their choice today, but someday I won’t and I don’t ever want them to have that power.
I live an hour away from San Francisco, a twenty-minute drive to the nearest BART station so getting to the City is not a challenge. Yet we haven’t been there in probably four years and the reason is this kind of garbage where the politically-correct officials do everything they can to make the experience miserable for visitors. Among these silly regulations, the gay pride exhibitionist groups, the ubiquitous moochers and the druggies, drunks and psychos wandering the streets, it just isn’t worth it to spend our money there.
SF government should keep their butt-sniffing noses out of it.
Why does S.F. care? It’s not like they have any kids.
Will they pass a similar law for adults? No sex toys at your whorehouse or bath house encounter unless certain minimum standards are met.
Calling them “Nazis” is no longer hyperbole.
This is an easy fix. Remove the Happy Meal® from the menu and list a Happy Toy® ( comes with complimentary kid size meal).
Big brother is watching.
Very nice! Make the Marxists have to work at being a Marxist.
I wonder if California could have a voter referendum to bind County Commissioners to the same infernal laws that they push on voters.
The toy part of this issue is a charade.
Bay area just wants to control every nanny aspect of dauly life that they can.
Go home & make your own hamburgers & put anything you want on them.
Thanks.
These nanny twits are so openly hypocritical. There is a ‘documentary’ circulating on HBO channels called “The Real Motel Kids of Orange County” by Alexandra Pelosi. Yes, THAT Pelosi. Most of the “Motel Kids” attend the county run Project Hope school which dispenses a free lunch. This “lunch” save for the 2% milk (sometimes chocolate) is absolute garbage. In one scene a Teacher is overheard stating she’d “never eat it”.
I work in SF (but I never take my little kids there; SF is too evil for children) and this just makes me so sad.
My kids are thin and healthy and sometimes eat the happy meals with hamburgers, apples, and milk. Perfectly healthy nutritious meal, full of protein and vitamins.
How very sad to deny them their little toy, the highlight of their little lunch—and teachers also like them as donations for their “prize boxes” at school.
SF is so anti-child it’s incredible. Are there no parents in SF gov’t? No, because there are no children in SF. . .
Not to mention anti-business.
SF needs to butt the hell out of our lives. The SF draconian and absurd recycling building policies have led to a situation where I simply dump all the waste I generate during the day into one BART trash can on the way home. I used to recycle some, but no more.
As usual, it’s monkey see, monkey do with commies.
I used to go there fairly regularly for conferences. Not anymore. I will not be back, nor in any way support policies and “leadership” so diametrically opposed to my views.
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