McDonald’s toy set angers U.K. parents

McDonald’s toy set angers U.K. parents
Tags: Health & Nutrition, International, Marketing / Branding / Promotion
March 1, 2011

McDonald’s has found itself on the defensive again. Still grappling with a Happy Meal ban in San Francisco and a lawsuit filed by the Center for Science in Public Interest on “behalf of parents,” the chain is now fending off angry health experts in the United Kingdom.

At issue is a new toy set being sold for £59.99 (about $97) at Toys R Us outlets throughout the country. The set includes Happy Meals with plastic patties, buns, cheese slices, pickles, and a drive-thru function, according to The Sun.

The U.K.’s National Obesity Forum said the toy is another example of big business “infiltrating the minds of children.”

McDonald’s responded that the item is simply meant as a “fun role-play toy.”