I found this article at mercurynews.com and I thought I would share it.
Santa Clara County: Supervisors ban toys with fast-food meals
Santa Clara County: Supervisors ban toys with fast-food meals
Hoping again to be a pioneer in promoting healthier eating, Santa Clara County supervisors on Tuesday approved the nation's first ordinance that would prevent restaurants from using toys to lure kids to meals high in fat, sugar and calories.
The law prohibits restaurants in unincorporated parts of the county from giving away goodies unless the meals meet certain nutritional guidelines. More and more in recent years, fast-food critics say restaurants have encouraged families to make unhealthy choices by offering Iron Man Cyclone Spinning Robot Drones and Barbie Mermaid dolls with their kids' meals.
Though the crackdown will affect no more than a handful of restaurants, county supervisors hope their vote will create a ripple effect in cities, other counties and the state — similar to how Santa Clara County helped to lead the way on forcing fast-food chains to post calorie counts on menus. They also hoped this latest push would prod the restaurant industry to take notice.
Judging from Tuesday's standing-room-only crowd in the county board chamber and the ensuing national news reports on the vote, they succeeded.
"This ordinance breaks the link between unhealthy food and prizes," said Supervisor Ken Yeager, who sponsored the initiative. Yeager said it is unfair to parents and children to use toys to capture the tastes of children when they're young and "to get them hooked on eating high-sugar, high-fat foods early in life."
Supervisor Liz Kniss, District 5, holds up some of the toys that are given away at fast food restaurants at a press conference on Tuesday, April 27, 2010. By a 3-2 vote, Santa Clara County supervisors today approved the nation's first childhood obesity ordinance targeting toy giveaways with fast-food meals. The ordinance would prohibit restaurants from giving away toys with kids' meals that are high in fat, sugar and calories. The ban's reach will be very limited. It will only affect restaurants in the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County such as San Martin. Supervisors Ken Yeager, Liz Kniss and Dave Cortese voted for the ordinance. Supervisors Don Gage and George Shirakawa opposed it.
This article was written by Tracy Seipel tseipel@mercurynews.com
This article was written by Tracy Seipel tseipel@mercurynews.com