Is a Happy Meal the Downfall of Our Kids?

It’s no shock – kids are susceptible to marketing. As a mom, I see it when my 3-year-old identifies each and every fast food sign as we drive down the road. As a former advertising copywriter for 10 years, I made sure to craft a message that resonated with our target market, whatever audience that might be.

Over the past few weeks, the focus on food marketing has been in the news. At the beginning of the month, Kellogg’s was forced by the FDA to agree to tighter advertising restrictions after questionable claims promoting Rice Krispies’ immunity-building benefits showed up on packages. More recently, a study by Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity showed – big surprise – kids chose food wrapped in character packaging as opposed to plain packaging 85 percent of the time.

And finally, this week, the watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest expressed its intent to sue McDonald’s for placing promotional toys in its Happy Meals (this after Santa Clara County in California banned fast-food retailers from continuing the practice). The Center complained that the toys draw kids to fast-food restaurants and encourage them to make poor food choices.

But will eliminating the Happy Meal toy really steer families away from the Golden Arches? Not necessarily, said St. Louis registered dietician Alice Colletti via e-mail. “The inclusion of a toy with a specialty meal for children could be one reason that it is a high demand item. If toys were removed from fast-food kids’ meals, it is overly optimistic to think overall eating habits would change for the better. Families are still making food choices based on likes and dislikes, family budget, and time and ease, to name a few.”

As a parent, I can definitely understand the concern these organizations have about the welfare of our children and can see the link between marketing and poor decisions. On the other hand, as parents, we – not our preschoolers – have the power to decide if and when we take them to a fast-food restaurant, to guide them to the best food choices and to have our own Happy Meal toy perched on our desk (Shrek is looking at me with disgust as I write this and silently calling me a hypocrite).

It’s up to us to follow the “everything in moderation” principle. Having a Happy Meal once in awhile doesn’t make us bad parents or lead our kids down a destructive path. “Fast food should be an occasionally treat instead of a regular occurrence,” remarked Colletti. “Although some fast-food restaurants, including McDonalds, are making an effort to provide lower calorie options, kids don't need to indulge in fast-food meals more than once a month. Preparing food at home and enjoying family dinners allows children to learn how to cook, try new foods and parents are in control of what their family is eating."

So, which side of the fence do you fall on? Does a watchdog group like the Center for Science in the Public Interest have the welfare of our kids in mind or are they taking a piece of parenting out of our hands?

By Nicole Plegge, Lifestyle Blogger for SmartParenting