News

Happy Meal ban under fire

November 11, 2010

A San Francisco vote last week to ban kids' meal toys if the food failed to meet stringent nutritional guidelines has conjured up a bit of a backlash.

The city's mayor, Gavin Newsom, has vowed to veto the ban, even though its passage came via an 8-3 veto-proof margin by the San Francisco, Calif., Board of Supervisors.

McDonald's has released succinct responses, stating its disappointment with the decision.

"It's not what our customers want, nor is it something they asked for," said McDonald's spokesperson Danya Proud. "Getting a toy with a kid's meal is just one part of a fun, family experience at McDonald's."

Some new research shows that the ban may not only be "disappointing," but off-base.

A recent study conducted by CFI Group, which measures customer satisfaction and management, concluded that children play a significantly greater role in choosing McDonald's than in choosing its competitors.

Of the 1,200 consumers surveyed, 32 percent of families who ate at the Golden Arches did so because of their kids' influence, compared to just 7 percent for all other QSR brands.

Moreover, in regards to the ban, the study found that toys are the primary influence of that choice only 8 percent of the time.

A big influence of the ban's creation is kids' meals marketing tactics. Originally proposed in August, the ordinance prohibits toy giveaways for meals that contain too much fat, sugar or salt.

"San Francisco’s proposed ban on Happy Meal toys is well intentioned, but misguided," said Sheri Teodoru, CEO of CFI Group, which is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich. "Saying that Buzz Lightyear or MegaMind causes childhood obesity is easy, but doesn’t address the problem. Our research shows that toys have limited influence over children’s preference for McDonald’s."

“Quick service restaurants – including those who serve kids’ meals with toys – are about convenience, taste and affordability," Teodoru added. "Taking toys away doesn’t address the issue of why families are there in the first place."

On the other side of the debate, the Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity's study on fast food marketing concludes that more than $4.2 billion was spent in 2009 on marketing and advertising in the QSR industry, with a heavy focus on children's marketing specifically.

The study also finds that children as young as age 2 are seeing more fast food ads than ever before, and restaurants rarely offer parents the healthy kids' meal choices.

For example, McDonald's has 13 websites, attracting 365,000 unique child visitors under 12 every month. Its ronald.com website is specifically targeted to preschoolers.

According to Jennifer Harris, of the Rudd Center, preschoolers see 21 percent more QSR ads on TV than they did seven years ago. Older children see about 34 percent more.

"Despite pledges to improve their marketing practices, fast food companies seem to be stepping up their efforts to target kids," Harris said.

Perhaps these numbers explain why organizations such as The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood have stepped up their efforts in urging QSRs to stop marketing kids' meals with toys.

San Francisco city officials expect legal challenges to the ban, but none have been filed yet.