San Fran "Happy Meal" Ban
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this Oct. 1, 2010 file photo, a Happy Meal box and toy are shown outside of a McDonald's restaurant in San Francisco. City lawmakers on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010, approved legislation that they hope will force fast-food chains such as McDonald's to make their children's meals healthier or stop selling them with toys. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
Here’s one city that’s going to fall off your kids’ road-trip list.
By an 8 to 3 vote—meaning it cannot be overturned by a mayoral veto—the San Francisco Board of Supervisors today passed the so-called “Happy Meal Ban,” an ordinance banning toy giveaways with anything but the healthiest meals.
That means that if McDonald’s wants to pack those tiny plastic “Ice Age” critters with some foodstuff, these need to:
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}• Be less than 600 calories, with less than 35 percent of those from fat
• Include at least a half cup of fruit and 2/3 cup of vegetables
• Contain less than 640 mg of sodium
• Absolutely not be accompanied by a soft drink
In theory, this could mean toys and delightful, fresh meals. In practice, it probably just means your will be thinner and healthier—if somewhat bitter, pinched and hangry.