Santa Clara County, Calif., legislators are hoping to change the way kids approach fast food with the passage of a law banning restaurants from giving away toys in meals that don't meet nutritional guidelines, according to the Silicon Valley Mercury News.
In 2008, the county was one of the first municipalities to require calorie counts on menus. More local and state legislators followed suit until nutritional labeling was included in the new health care reform law.
From the story:
Hoping again to be a pioneer in promoting healthier eating, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the nation's first ordinance that would prevent restaurants from using toys to lure kids to meals high in fat, sugar and calories. …Under the ordinance, restaurants would not be able to offer toys for kids' meals that exceed certain nutritional standards — more than 485 total calories, for instance, or more than 600 milligrams of sodium. That means, at Wendy's, four chicken nuggets, mandarin oranges and low-fat milk would get a toy. But the crispy chicken sandwich, fries and chocolate milk would not.
The standards also apply to fat and sugar content, forbidding toys in children's meals with more than 35 percent of their calories from fat and more than 10 percent of calories from added sweeteners.
　
The law applies to restaurants in unincorporated parts of the county, affecting only a handful of restaurants, but as its calorie count ruling did in the past, the county supervisors hope their vote will create a ripple effect across the country.
The California Restaurant Association spoke out against the ordinance and brought results of a poll demonstrating that a number of local residents did not support the mandate.
　
The CRA has 90 days to present an alternative to the ordinance, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. But the association is unsure that it will come up with one.
From The Chronicle:
Members of the California Restaurant Association were unsure if they will offer an alternative to the ordinance, said Amalia Chamorro, the association's director of governmental affairs."If the point is to get a dialogue going with the industry about health, that dialogue is already ongoing," Chamorro said. "If the point is to solve childhood obesity, taking away a toy isn't going to help."
