Councilman Leroy Comrie announced today his plan to introduce legislation that would ban toys from being included in unhealthy meals at fast food restaurants.
“The health and well-being of New York’s children is one of the most pressing issues facing our city today,” Comrie, a Democrat representing District 27 in Queens, said at a press conference at City Hall Tuesday.
“Prohibiting fast food restaurants from giving out toys with highly unhealthy meals will reduce the allure of such establishments for children while hopefully incentivizing the fast food industry to provide their customers with healthier and more nutritious options,” he continued.
His proposed bill would prohibit restaurants from distributing toys or other knickknacks geared toward children in meals that have more than 500 calories, 600 milligrams of sodium and 35 percent of calories from fat, excluding nuts, seeds and nut butters.
According to data compiled by Comrie’s office, McDonald’s Happy Meal contains 1,090 calories, Burger King’s Kid’s Meal contains 1,460 calories, Wendy’s kid’s portion meal contains 1,080 calories and KFC’s Kid Meal contains 680 calories.
“While I recognize that ensuring that children have access to, and eat more, nutritious meals is ultimately the responsibility of their caretakers, the City Council can empower parents by making it harder for the fast food industry to target children with predatory marketing techniques,” he added.
San Francisco’s board of supervisors adopted similar measures last year to prohibit restaurants from including children’s toys in unhealthy meals.