Group will sue McDonald's over Happy Meal toys
WTF?!
WASHINGTON – Are the toys in your child's Happy Meal making him fat?
The Center for Science in the Public Interest says they are. The Washington-based consumer advocacy group threatened to file a lawsuit against McDonald's Tuesday, charging that the fast food chain "unfairly and deceptively" markets the toys to children.
McDonald's marketing has the effect of conscripting America's children into an unpaid drone army of word-of-mouth marketers, causing them to nag their parents to bring them to McDonald's," CSPI's Stephen Gardner wrote to the heads of the chain in a letter announcing the lawsuit.
The center, which has filed dozens of lawsuits against food companies in recent years, is hoping the publicity and the threat of a lawsuit will force McDonald's to negotiate with them on the issue. The group announced the lawsuit in the letter to McDonald's 30 days before filing it with the hope that the company will agree to stop selling the toys before a suit is filed.
McDonald's Vice President of Communications, William Whitman, said in a statement that the company "couldn't disagree more" with CSPI's assertion that their toys violate any laws. He said McDonald's restaurants offer more variety than they ever have and Happy Meals are made smaller for kids.
"We are proud of our Happy Meal which gives our customers wholesome food and toys of the highest quality and safety," Whitman said. "Getting a toy is just one part of a fun, family experience at McDonald's."
CSPI says the suit would be filed in state court. The center has not settled on a state yet, but the group believes the toys in Happy Meals violate state consumer protection laws in Massachusetts, Texas, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and California.
California's Santa Clara County voted earlier this year to ban restaurants from giving away the toys and other freebies that often come with high-calorie meals aimed at kids.
McDonald's has fought such criticism for years, and the company made a pledge in 2007 to advertise only two types of Happy Meals to children younger than 12: one with four Chicken McNuggets, apple dippers with caramel dip and low-fat white milk, or one with a hamburger, apple dippers and milk. They both meet the company-set requirement of less than 600 calories, and no more than 35 percent of calories from fat, 10 percent of calories from saturated fat or 35 percent total sugar by weight.
CSPI argues that even if those Happy Meals appear in advertisements, kids order the unhealthier meals most of the time.
The group is hoping its first lawsuit against the mega-chain will have a similar effect as its 2006 lawsuit against Kellogg that prompted the company to agree to a settlement raising the nutritional value of cereals and snacks it markets to children.
Still, some may accuse the group of extremism, arguing that it's the parents' responsibility to monitor what their children eat, not the restaurant's.
Michael Jacobson, executive director of CSPI, says it's the parents responsibility too, but he equates the toy giveaways to a door to door salesman coming to a family's house every day and asking to privately speak with the children.
"At some point parents get worn down," Jacobson says. "They don't always want to be saying no to their children. We feel like an awful lot of parents would be relieved if this one pressure was removed from them."
McDonald's also came under fire over Happy Meals earlier this year when it recalled 12 million "Shrek" drinking glasses sold with the meals. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the levels of the carcinogen cadmium in the glasses was too high.
how stupid and irresponsible are these parents? Why are they having children to begin with?
I posted this article on my FB page, here are the comments that followed:
Friend #1: You should really see the documentary Killer At Large. It does an excellent job addressing this very argument. Kids are subjected to hundreds of thousands of ads directed at them each year. The purpose of these ads is to develop brand loyalty at a very early age. There is no way for parents to compete with this constant message.
Friend #2: I disagree. Turn off the damn TV! Monitor their exposure to media. Really, who's in charge here?
Me: I agree with Friend #2 100%!!!! Sorry Friend #1, but a parent has a responsibility to guard and guide their children. If your child is seeing that many adverts in a year, you are a poor parent with poor parenting skills. My children watch 1 hour of TV a day, if even that. We involve them in play where they can use their imagination, sports, dance, music,,,etc..we have plenty for them to do out side and inside without constantly barrage them with tv everyday. Parents do not need to compete. I am not my children's friend, I am their parent, I am in charge. I make the rules. When I say no, I mean no and it is nonnegotiable! Also, my kids are not allowed to eat hamburgers or pizza from a burger joint more than twice a month. When we do have pizza or burgers, usually it is at home grilled burgers or home made pizza. it is another thing we do together. But I am the final word, I am the authority. It is my job to make sure my kids eat healthy. When we drive by McDonalds and my kids start whining for a happy meal I say NO, and keep driving past McDonalds. How freaking difficult is that? What we have here is a case of LAZY PARENTING and lack of responsibility. Parents just do not want to deal with their own kids. It is easier for them to buy the meal to 'shut them up.'
As the mother of several children, I assure you this method has worked well for me for years. My children have not suffered any over the lack of Happy Meals in their life.
Need I say anymore? I think Friend #2 and I have pretty much covered it!
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