Tantrum Meal

Like many cities, San Francisco is looking for ways to make their public healthier. Starting today it is illegal to give away a free toy with a kids meal if it does not meet certain nutritional standards. McDonalds being the geniuses they are, are now charging 10 cents for the toy with the purchase of a Happy Meal. Did I mention that all the proceeds from the toy go to the Ronald McDonald House of San Francisco? Very clever. Not only does a kid still get a cheap toy (literally and figuratively) but an ill child has the opportunity to have their family around.



Way to tug at those heart strings Mickey D's.

Charging for the toy was not the immediate response that McDonalds had to the new ordinance going into affect. In fact, they initially attempted to make their Happy Meals healthier. They offered low-fat milk and fresh sliced apples; eventually they want to add another vegetable option. The portion of fries was cut by more than half. They did a few other things too, but I'll let their gifted PR team explain it themselves. Even with these changes the kids meals were still not up to San Fran's new guidelines.

So McDonalds did the next best thing. Asked you for some change.

If you're like me, you may be starting to wonder what these new guidelines were and how this whole thing started. Back in 2004 the California's Congress passed a resolution to curb unhealthy marketing to children. As you can imagine, giving away free toys with kids meal purchases was deemed to be unhealthy marketing.

This makes sense. Remember the Beanie Baby craze back in the 90s. McDonalds would release a new Teenie Beanie each week and I was there. You know those hunks of fabric filled with foam and beads were going to be so valuable I might be able to pay for my college once I sold them off (at peak price nonetheless). This is a lesson on why you save, and not spend, money. Here was the caveat to obtaining a Teenie Beanie, I knew you could purchase the toy without having to get the meal. (Editor's note: That is not my collection pictured above. I'm pretty sure it didn't survive long after I left for college with zero beanie baby scholarship money.)

Can you imagine people going into McDonalds just to buy the toys on a regular basis? (Besides the collectors with rooms dedicated to the junk?) That probably doesn't happen. People get the kids meal because their kids require food, it's made especially for them, and the kid gets a hunk of plastic to entertain them for the afternoon with. Happy Meal sounds a lot better than Tantrum Meal.

Under the new ordinance, for restaurants to offer the free toy they must meet certain nutrition requirements for the kids meal. These kids meals have to have fewer than 600 calories and less than 640 milligrams of sodium. These meals also must have one serving of fruit and one and a half servings of vegetables (in non-breakfast meals). The drinks offered must have less than 10 percent of their calories from added sugars. Looking at the breakdown, this isn't too far off from what school lunches need to provide as sides under the National School Lunch Program.

Playing around on the meal builder I created what I thought most kids would eat. Chicken nuggets with BBQ sauce, french fries, and orange drink. (Because some adults are responsible and know their kids need their vitamin C.) This meal came in at 460 calories and 690 milligrams of sodium. McDonalds misses the new requirements because its higher in sodium and you have a fruit or fries option. Once McDonalds has a fresh vegetable option, adds another side item to the meal, and drops the sodium content in it they would qualify to hand out free toys again.

These healthier kids meals McDonalds has currently are set to be out across the United States by April. But will McDonalds add those healthier options at a higher price to them and possibly consumers to qualify to give out free toys? Or will they add a cape to Ronald McDonald's costume to illustrate how McDonalds helps sick kids by playing by their own rules?