Happy Meals ban in Santa Clara County - latimes.com
It seems that Santa Clara county is taking the wrong action in the more important issue of childhood obesity. Although I understand the reason behind the decision-that it seems we're rewarding children for eating food that's high in calories and fat-I don't think fining restaurants that do this is the answer. Perhaps the better move would be to make McDonald's create a healthier menu for both children and adults, whether they get a toy or not. It is no secret that fast food is unhealthy, but I liken this action to a parent punishing a child without expectation of improving the bad behavior. It's been 6 years since Supersize Me and there's been no move whatsoever, by the government or anyone else, to regulate food produced by McD's or all the other fast food restaurants. I've taken the best action possible by choosing not to eat at most places notorious for their fattening foods. Perhaps a stronger push to educate both parents and children on the dangers of eating unhealthily. How about a tax added to foods that have a high calorie and fat content. 'You want to eat food that's bad for you? You're gonna pay, one way or another.' That may be something the state of California could do to help get this state out of the huge deficit it's in. If nothing else, why not put warning labels on all foods that are high in saturated fats/calories/sodium, etc, stating that consumption of these items can lead to obesity/high blood pressure/heart disease? Hey, it's done with cigarettes.
The fact is this community is punishing the wrong people. Can a franchise owner be held accountable for the policies set up by the corporation that dictates the kind of food they sell? Or should the corporation be made to pay the fines incurred by their franchises because of their insistence on providing food that's bad for their consumers. I don't disagree with this community's concerns. I just don't think these actions will do anything in the long term to create healthier children.
