Citing Obesity of Children, County Bans Fast-Food Toys

[jamesrage]

It looks like the food police is getting more idiotic. Toys do not make kids obese, Kids eating fast food does not make kids fat. It is kids not exercising that makes kids obese and weak willed parents who can not tell their kids no or to go outside and play that make kids obese.



A Ban on Toys With Fast-Food Meals for Children - NYTimes.com

SAN FRANCISCO — It was not a happy day for the Happy Meal.
Add to Portfolio

In what it described as a blow against the fattening temptations of fast food, the board of supervisors in Santa Clara County, south of San Francisco, voted Tuesday to ban the promotional toys that often accompany child-size portions of cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets if those meals don’t meet certain nutritional standards.

The criteria, which are based on federal standards and recommendations from the nonprofit Institute of Medicine, would apply to all fast-food restaurants giving away toys in meals in-tended for children. Ken Yeager, the board president, said the new law would level “the playing field by taking away the incentive to choose fatty, sugary foods over healthier options.”

“What we’re trying to do is de-link the connection between unhealthy food and toys,” said Mr. Yeager, who added that he believed children chose their meals based on the giveaway that came with it. “Why would a kid say ‘I want a burger with fries’? It’s the toys that they want.”

The law, the first of its kind, will allow restaurants to give away toys as long as the meals don’t contain excessive calories, sodium, sugar or fat. “This ordinance does not attack toys,” Mr. Yeager said just before the board passed the law by a 3-2 vote. “Toys, in and of themselves, do not make children obese.”

 

[MyOwnDrum]

These round about laws are ridiculous. If they think junk food is dangerous to the kiddos, then come right out and ban it.

Next thing is they'll want to ban the McDonald's playland. That was the only reason we ever went there...

 

[Kernel Sanders]

Hitting right at the heart of America's obesity problem, I see

 

[Kushinator]

While it really is just spit in a bucket, it's on the right track. Junk food addiction is a serious problem for future generations of America. The result of such indulgence is well.... rather embarrassing.

Something interesting:

Obese people often say they'd like to eat less but feel almost powerless to stop indulging, and now new research suggests that explanation might be all too true.

The theory stems from a study in rats. When researchers gave the rats unlimited access to a calorie-laden diet of bacon, pound cake, candy bars and other junk food, the rats quickly gained lots of weight. As they plumped up, eating became such a compulsion that they kept chowing down even when they knew they would receive an unpleasant electric shock to their foot if they did so.

Meanwhile, rats fed the human equivalent of a well-balanced, healthy diet -- and given only limited access to the junk food -- didn't gain much weight and knew enough to stop eating when they received the cue that a foot shock was imminent.

Even more startling, the researchers report, is that when they took away the junk food from the obese rats and replaced it with healthier chow, the obese rats went on something of a hunger strike. For two weeks, they refused to eat hardly anything at all.

"They went into voluntary starvation," said study author Paul Kenny, an associate professor at Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Fla.

So what might this say about human behavior?

Researchers aren't certain if the results apply to people struggling with their weight. But they say it's possible that a diet heavy in highly rewarding foods -- quite literally, sausages, cheesecake and other highly processed foods -- might cause changes in the brain's reward system for satiety.

When that goes awry, the result is not only that people gain weight, but that they feel compelled to seek out more and more junk food.

The findings were published online March 28 in Nature Neuroscience.

Junk Food 'Addiction' May Be Real - Yahoo! News

 

[obvious Child]

While it really is just spit in a bucket, it's on the right track.

I dunno. I feel like if they are willing to do this, just ban the junk food and save some time. Banning toys seems kind of retarded.

 

[Kushinator]

I dunno. I feel like if they are willing to do this, just ban the junk food and save some time. Banning toys seems kind of retarded.

Junk food if and of itself is not entirely bad. I do think its unacceptable to market a 700 calorie meal towards younger children or irresponsible parents.

 

[samsmart]

It looks like the food police is getting more idiotic. Toys do not make kids obese, Kids eating fast food does not make kids fat. It is kids not exercising that makes kids obese and weak willed parents who can not tell their kids no or to go outside and play that make kids obese.

What the county is going after is advertisements that make kids want to eat fast food. Cigarette companies and alcohol companies have limitations on how they can advertise, so there is precedents there. Also, the schools have taken out a lot of physical education because of the FCAT. Parks is a place where kids could go to play, but it takes tax dollars to pay for the building, maintenance, and security. And we all know how Americans feel about paying taxes. And if schools don't take kids out to exercise, it's up to the parents. But considering how many hours working class parents have to work, they don't always have time to take their kids out to a park to play.

 

[Cold Highway]

Another plank of the nanny state, stuff like this makes my head hurt.

 

[Arch Enemy]

I agree with banning the toys.

It is bad enough that parents allow their children to eat fast-food. It is hard enough for an adult body to deal with consequences of eating a high fat and high carbohydrate diet. The toys are only there to be a rewarding mechanism, so that the children will associate Happy Meals with positive feelings. Shouldn't reward children for eating unhealthy food that is designed to be tasty with a disregard for the consumer's health.

 

[StandUpChuck]

While it really is just spit in a bucket, it's on the right track. Junk food addiction is a serious problem for future generations of America. The result of such indulgence is well.... rather embarrassing.

As a responsible parent, I am tired of paying the price for irresponsible and moronic breeders. My son has been to McDonald's once, and he didn't like it. Sure the ads probably got him interested, but it's up to *me* to say no. :naughty Fortunately, I've made sure he's had good food all his life, so when he tasted that crap, he didn't want to finish it. And guess what? It was probably a lot less expensive all these years for me to cook for him.

The school pounds into the kids' heads to avoid sugar, fats, etc while the lunch room serves the most disgusting sodium laced crap. Because he eats well, is active and has a great metabolism, my son's ribs stick out. :2sick1: Do you have any idea how hard it is to get him to eat the opposite of what the "nutrition" experts at school keep saying?

I'm sorry there are some kids out there with crappy parents. But gov't and schools stay the heck out of the lives of kids with responsible parents. We don't need you.

 

[Moon]

Meh, it's one county in California. If the people that live there don't like the ordinance, they can complain and try to get it changed. It doesn't affect me one bit.

 

[Arch Enemy]

As a responsible parent, I am tired of paying the price for irresponsible and moronic breeders. My son has been to McDonald's once, and he didn't like it. Sure the ads probably got him interested, but it's up to *me* to say no. :naughty Fortunately, I've made sure he's had good food all his life, so when he tasted that crap, he didn't want to finish it. And guess what? It was probably a lot less expensive all these years for me to cook for him.

The school pounds into the kids' heads to avoid sugar, fats, etc while the lunch room serves the most disgusting sodium laced crap. Because he eats well, is active and has a great metabolism, my son's ribs stick out. :2sick1: Do you have any idea how hard it is to get him to eat the opposite of what the "nutrition" experts at school keep saying?

I'm sorry there are some kids out there with crappy parents. But gov't and schools stay the heck out of the lives of kids with responsible parents. We don't need you.

I agree. It is necessary for the parents to monitor what their children eat especially with the stupid guidelines posted by the USDA, which takes a nonsensical approach to health and diet.
As a product of the crappy cafeteria food system, I understand all too well the disgusting items cooks prepare and call "food". The thing is that it took me 3 years after I graduated high-school to wrap my head around it. Nobody took up the task to divulge information about the food we were being served.

When I was a senior in high school I finally started bringing bag-lunch, not because I had a idea how horrible the cafeteria food was for students, but because I knew that I could make food at home that tasted much better than at the school.

The biggest lie that's been spread about food is that someone can eat for cheaper at a Fast-Food restaurant than at preparing a home meal. That's complete buuuulllshiiittt

 

[Renae]

My kids aren't allowed fast food except on the rare occassion, normally road trips when I don't feel like stopping at a sit down resturaunt. That's just how it is.

For those of you in support of this measure, let me ask you some questions.

Why is it the fault of the Fast Food Co. that parents cannot say "No" to their kids?

What does it matter to you if the Jones's eat at McD's every night?

What RIGHT do you have to try force your view of proper parenting on free citizens?

 

[hazlnut]

The toys are the only part of the Happy Meal not making them fat.

 

[Ikari]

People just need to parent well. It's not McDonald's fault your kid is fat, it's yours. All these laws and blah blah blah, it's all consequence removal. And what do we get for it? More laws, more intrusive government, larger government, etc. It's all bull****. Let us take care of ourselves. And if we don't then that's the individuals own damned fault and they can go ahead and die of a heart attack at 40.

 

[Arch Enemy]

The toys are the only part of the Happy Meal not making them fat.

Children respond to a reward system. Food comes and goes and a child's taste buds are quite low, one of the only real mechanisms to make fast-food "sticky" to a child is to present a toy everytiime they get a happy meal.

 

[Renae]

Children respond to a reward system. Food comes and goes and a child's taste buds are quite low, one of the only real mechanisms to make fast-food "sticky" to a child is to present a toy everytiime they get a happy meal.

AND?

Whose fault is it the kid eats the food? The people selling it or the parents?

Fault is the wrong term... who is responsible for the child consuming said happy meal. Fault makes it seem like a victimization issue for which they have no control.

 

[Arch Enemy]

My kids aren't allowed fast food except on the rare occassion, normally road trips when I don't feel like stopping at a sit down resturaunt. That's just how it is.

For those of you in support of this measure, let me ask you some questions.

Why is it the fault of the Fast Food Co. that parents cannot say "No" to their kids?

What does it matter to you if the Jones's eat at McD's every night?

What RIGHT do you have to try force your view of proper parenting on free citizens?

1) Because the Jones' obesity and/or health diseases that are from a high fat, high carbohydrate diet, especially if they eat at McD's every night will be paid by the tax payers because the Jones will not be capable of holding a job.

2) I see a Jones parent that allows their children to eat McD's every night nearing child neglect. Don't think that a high sodium and fat diet won't kill your child. The liver can only sift thorough a certain amount of excessive nutrients and additives.

 

[Arch Enemy]

AND?

Whose fault is it the kid eats the food? The people selling it or the parents?

Check my previous po s t ^ that way

 

[Renae]

1) Because the Jones' obesity and/or health diseases that are from a high fat, high carbohydrate diet, especially if they eat at McD's every night will be paid by the tax payers because the Jones will not be capable of holding a job.

Such a scare dangerous slope you sit on. Freedom and Liberty come second to you don't they?

2) I see a Jones parent that allows their children to eat McD's every night nearing child neglect. Don't think that a high sodium and fat diet won't kill your child. The liver can only sift thorough a certain amount of excessive nutrients and additives.

So you believe you have moral right to save children from their evil parents. Why have parents at all? Why not put children into Gov't run boarding schools. Really, it's the only way to ensure they are treated properly.

 

[digsbe]

Kids are obese because parents feed them crap and the kids live very sedentary lives. The government shouldn't ban any food for any reason (unless it's poisoned or something, that's where the FDA can step in and ban it). Really the only thing the government should be allowed to do is have intense PE exercises in public schools and encourage kids to stop sitting in front of a TV and computer and go out and do something.

 

[Arch Enemy]

Such a scare dangerous slope you sit on. Freedom and Liberty come second to you don't they?

No reality comes first. The reality is that fast-food leads to obesity and cardiovascular disease if consumed on a normal basis. There are of course a multitude of confounding variables, such as exercise, age, pre-existing conditions, and metabolism. But the fact stills stands that we WILL pay for other's choices it is a fact, and the fatter society gets, then the more Uncle Sam is going to be going through your piggy bank.

I do not believe that Gov't mandates should be the response to the epidemic. We have cut the total amount of youth smokers, and even youth sentiment, with very little done by the Gov't. We can continue this dialogue against fatty foods, food with large amounts of additives, or are high in sodium, sugar, or carbohydrates. It does not have to come from the Gov't. And McDs doesn't have to go bankrupt. They have, in their capacity, to make more healthy meals... but the change hsa to start with the consumer.

So you believe you have moral right to save children from their evil parents. Why have parents at all? Why not put children into Gov't run boarding schools. Really, it's the only way to ensure they are treated properly.

I believe the parents should be sterilized immediately.

 

[Ikari]

The reality is that fast-food leads to obesity and cardiovascular disease if consumed on a normal basis.

Then don't consume it on a normal basis.

 

[ReverendHellh0und]

Statism on the march.

 

[Arch Enemy]

Then don't consume it on a normal basis.

and that would be damn good advice if what I consumed was the only affect on me. The truth is that those who do not heed the advice that smoking is a leading cause of cancer, and that fast-food (high-fat, high sodium, high carbohydrate) diet is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, still affect me.
Those who become jobless because of their ailments from preventable diseases, I might add, are no longer the recipients of their own actions-- their health costs get passed onto the tax payers; their jobless status affects the economy.

To say that it is the individuals responsibility to adhere to healthy guidelines, and look after their own ass allows Fast-Food and unhealthy food producers to shrug off any blame. When a child gets lead poisoning from a Chinese produced toy (which are probably where the toys in the OP are coming from) there is a unanimous blame put on the toy-producers for allowing it to happen, or for the Govt to allow such nonsense get into circulation. The double standard is that when children show complications from a poor diet (usually early onset diabetes) there is no blame to McDonalds, or to the fast food producers, but it goes directly to the parents.

Sure lead poisoning and a McHappyMeal are quite different in terms of the severity of their effect, but the McHappyMeal abuse happens on an hourly basis. Many more people allow their children to poison themselves with sodium, sugar, and fats then children who lick lead-infused toys.

I am not arguing that Gov't overhaul of the FastFood industry is necessary or even remotely sane, but I am arguing that if the standards of today continue and that society does not cause the change, then the Gov't in 10 to 20 to 30 years when there is a full blown epidemic and parents are outliving both their children and grandchildren will have to take action.