LA Times: Happy Meal toys could be banned in Santa Clara County

[Corcaigh]

Perhaps it because you don't get cut anymore and every kid makes the team.

It's more that for many kids the only activity is organized by an adult.

More kids just means more teams. But because youth sports end up being focused on wearing a uniform and playing other teams, then they have to have extra players in case some don't show up. And when they do half the team is on the sideline.

It's all stupid. As if it matters if the game is 9 v 11 or 5 v 7. The kids with fewer team members get to run more and have more touches on the ball.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I hear this all the time...

and I don't get it.

Kids are playing outside ALL the time. Youth sports numbers are higher then they have ever been (Mostly becasue there are more leagues then ever before).

That has nothing to do with the other 5 days of the week the kids come home from school/day care and don't get any exercise.

In the past, kids just played outside. We would play baseball, football, basketball, tag, kickball, etc. We were outside running through the woods and building forts. We were called in by our parents when it was time to eat dinner.

Running around (whatever the activity) for a couple hours per day is drastically different than going to one practice and one game per week for a youth soccer league.

I think this problem is threefold:

1) What I mentioned above...too many indoor and sedentary kids (video games, TV, Internet, etc.)

2) Portions and ingredients used in common foods now (HFCS)

3) Increase in households with two working parents resulting in fewer healthy meals and maybe even resulting in #1 (if you can't supervise a child, you certainly don't want him/her outside running around)

I could be completely wrong, of course!

[Special K]

That has nothing to do with the other 5 days of the week the kids come home from school/day care and don't get any exercise.

In the past, kids just played outside. We would play baseball, football, basketball, tag, kickball, etc. We were outside running through the woods and building forts. We were called in by our parents when it was time to eat dinner.

Running around (whatever the activity) for a couple hours per day is drastically different than going to one practice and one game per week for a youth soccer league.

I think this problem is threefold:

1) What I mentioned above...too many indoor and sedentary kids (video games, TV, Internet, etc.)

2) Portions and ingredients used in common foods now (HFCS)

3) Increase in households with two working parents resulting in fewer healthy meals and maybe even resulting in #1 (if you can't supervise a child, you certainly don't want him/her outside running around)

I could be completely wrong, of course!

Well, you're not wrong because I agree with you. Ha, just kidding. I could be totally wrong too, but this is very similar to how I feel about this situation.

For some reason, there seems to be a continual shift in our cultural mindset regarding activity, manual labor, busier lives, etc. My opinion is that this shift has been a major part in the increasing epidemic of obesity not only in America, but in many developed nations.

It really seems like as the years progress, we, as adults get busier and busier. We seem to engage less and less in manual labor as technology evolves and services become more available to us. Even in my short life, I've noticed an increasing tendency in myself to instead of just tackling a manual labor issue, hiring someone to do it as my schedule has become busier: clean my room, or now days my house? Nah, I'm going to hire someone to do it for me. Actually get out in the garden and plant things, mow the lawn, trim the hedges? Nah, I'm going to hire a lawn care agency to do this for me. I used to do this stuff in my teens and early 20's but the last few years, it's been easier for me to just delegate those tasks to others. I think more adults are doing this these days and that kind of mindset shift absolutely trickles down to kids.

Another example of this comes from discussions with my brother and his wife about their own kids as well as my own observations. They now live on the same ranch my siblings and I grew up on. So my nieces and nephew are in the exact same environment we grew up in (nothing really changes in such a small town). Anyway, whenever I'm home on vacation, I notice the kids aren't as inclined to play outdoors as my siblings and I were as kids. We have 40 acres...as kids we were ALWAYS outdoors, building forts, playing in the barn, riding our bikes all over tarnation. My nieces and nephew always seem to be indoors when I'm home and walk over to their place to visit. Last summer I had to twist their arms to go on bike rides with me or go swimming. Their friends don't really come over much to play outdoors. When we were kids, my mom pretty much had to beat our little friends off with a bat as they were always riding their bikes over enticing us outdoors to play and not do our chores.

ANYWAY, that's a long-winded example of the difference between now days and just like, 2 decades ago. My brother and his wife are constantly having to fight this and mandate that their kids play outside X amount of hours and that they aren't snacking on all the crap food they see their friends eat on a regular basis. They've won some of these battles, and lost a few too. Unfortunately, it seems because of our general cultural mindset these days, less and less parents are willing to even fight these battles and many children are suffereing the consequences.

I think as a developed society, we eat a lot more processed foods and as has been mentioned by several other posters, high fructose corn syrup. In addition, a lot of the food we turn to for vital nutrients like fruits and veggies, are being continually depleted of nutrients as their is more technology and "artificialness" utilized in their mass production.

I've come to a lot of these conclusions by evaluating the differences between the health issues in children in America and developed countries and observations I've made and health issues I've dealt with with children in multiple developing nations.

This is a multifactoral epidemic we are facing these days and there isn't one single cause for this. If there were, we would have already solved this massive problem. Sorry for the long-windedness of this post, but societal behaviors involved in this health issue is a very fascinating subject for me.

[stupidmorals]

Kids are fatter today than they were decades ago because of the low moral fiber they, and their obese parents, maintain. You see, fiber isn't digested. It absorbs water and assists other organic material through your bowels and out the other end. It's nature's Drano. Kids today lack the necessary moral fiber to properly digest all of the food they eat, which leaves them fat, evil, and full of crap. Gluttony and sloth are deadly sins, and people that commit deadly sins lack morality. Low moral fiber leads to eating too much and sitting on your fat, sinful ass--which leads to a lower moral fiber count and thus, more eating. It's a positive feedback loop feeding back into your positively increasing gut. See, it makes perfect sense.

Only prayer and devotion to the Lord thy God can cleanse them of their wicked, fatty ways. This will increase their overall moral fiber and result in one Hell of a Holy ****.

It's either that, or go play outside, Tubby.

I crack me up.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Keeast, well-said!

I think you add a great point about outsourcing. We have someone come clean our house now (something my mother still doesn't do). Luckily, we've kept doing the yard work (planting, mulching, mowing, fertilizing, etc.).

The combination of disposable income (whether real or perceived) and the willingness of people to do your "chores" for you has really set in among our middle class.

[Predicto]

Whoops. I was wrong about this being just an idea by one supervisor. This thing just passed the city council. My bad.

[Corcaigh]

Luckily, we've kept doing the yard work (planting, mulching, mowing, fertilizing, etc.).

I mow my own yard, 'cause I'm heavier than I want to be.

And I'm cheap.

And if I didn't mow my own yard no-one from our family would have set foot in it for five years.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I mow my own yard, 'cause I'm heavier than I want to be.

And I'm cheap.

And if I didn't mow my own yard no-one from our family would have set foot in it for five years.

I do it for pretty much the same reasons:

1) it's good, under-the-radar exercise

2) I can't bring myself to pay someone to do it

3) I'm pretty particular about how it looks...so some teenager probably won't do it right

[Thiebear]

So we wont get the "kids" meal for the "kids"

if they don't have a prize..

Kids meal:

4 nuggets - 6 if mighty kid

fries or apple slices

small drink

yep, no toy and my kids would get the ? what? Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

or did they think we were sitting around thinking.. I need to feed them.. I have all this food sitting around, but no toy..

let go to McDonalds..

If my kids got a choice it would be Applebees for the triple chocolate meltdown for dessert.

[Special K]

Whoops. I was wrong about this being just an idea by one supervisor. This thing just passed the city council. My bad.

Oh shizz, seriously? How freaking stupid.

H_H...my apologies for asserting that this thing wouldn't gain traction. I can't believe this was passed by a city council. While I am still not too concerned about this coming to the national level, I am concerned that there is a collection of individuals who are this stupid on a city's council. I understand that our government should take SOME steps to protect and enhance the nation's health, and I'm for some measures, but this is unreasonable. Even more concerning is the fact that there are adults who actually think that the passage of this BS is actually going to have an impact on childhood obesity (I mean, that takes an even more profound level of stupidity than I originally gave these idiots credit for) and these adults are in charge of approving measures that affect our lives (even though this is a small issue in the big picture, it's the principle and the logic behind this that is very concerning). Unbelievable.

[stevenaa]

My son absolutely wants a happy meal for the toy. He wants any kids meal that has a toy. It is a very compelling technique. However, this is way stupid.

[PCS]

Yeah, even when I was a little kid, I remember eating quite a few fast food meals....plates of grated cheese....bags of Doritoes....and drinking a buttload of Hawaiin Punch I seriously can't believe the amount of crap I ate. The primary factor, IMO, that kept me from becoming an obese kid was my activity level. As a kid, my siblings and friends and I were always outside and running around like crazy banshees. I honestly don't think that type of activity is as prevalent among children and youth these days. Not as much of that Playstation crappola in the 80's.

Anyway, in my experience (which is admittedly fairly limited) with "healthy living" public health programs, it's the decrease in daily activity, cutting P.E. programs, shorter recess times, etc., that are one of the biggers factors in this problem.

Well, you're not wrong because I agree with you. Ha, just kidding. I could be totally wrong too, but this is very similar to how I feel about this situation. Ect. 2nd post I agree very much with.

I was all wound up and ready for a rare trip on to my soapbox in The Tailgate then you had to go and post these. Sigh. Said it far better than I.

I do think that there are times when there are technical advancements made that impact our lives in huge ways,(video games for starters),and it takes awhile for society to catch up with them where behavioral changes are concerned. Seeing those changes and their effects to be exact. I think this is one of those times. Being brought when I was,probably gave me and others in my age group a bit of an advantage when it came to the advent of the video game. We tended to still want to play outside more than play video games. By and large,saved those for that rainy day thing. I do believe that the cutting of P. E. classes has a few more effects outside of the physical health one,but agree that that's a contributing problem with the rise in child obesity.

[DarrellsMyHero28]

Yep.

Its been passed.

Way to suck California.

Toys banned in some California fast food restaurants

(CNN) -- A California county on Tuesday became the first in the nation to ban toys from fast food kids' meals high in calories, fat, salt and sugar.

Santa Clara County supervisors voted 3-2 to ban the plastic goodies as promotions in meals with more than 485 calories.

County supervisor Ken Yeager said Tuesday that the ordinance "prevents restaurants from preying on children's love of toys to peddle high-calorie, high-fat, high-sodium kids' meals," and would help fight childhood obesity.

"This ordinance breaks the link between unhealthy food and prizes," Yeager said. "Under this ordinance, restaurants are still permitted to give out toys. This ordinance merely imposes very specific, common-sense nutrition standards for children's meals that are linked to these incentives."

The ordinance will ban restaurants from giving away toys with meals that have more than 485 calories, more than 600 milligrams of sodium, more than 35 percent of total calories from fat or more than 10 percent of calories from added sugar. It would also limit toy giveaways on single food items with more than 200 calories or more than 480 milligrams of sodium.

But the decision, which affects about a dozen fast food restaurants in unincorporated areas of Silicon Valley, has angered the California Restaurant Association, which fought the proposal with ads in local newspapers. One asks "Who Made Politicians the Toy Police?" and shows a child in handcuffs in front of a cop.

KGO: County bans kids' meal toys

The group commissioned a poll of local residents that found 80 percent didn't think the toy issue was an important one.

"From our perspective, we were echoing what our customers had to say. Obviously we felt that this proposal was excessive and I think purposely provocative," said Daniel Conway, the association's director of public affairs.

Conway said the association was disappointed local officials didn't come to them before creating the ordinance.

"We try to proactively engage with policy makers at the local level, the state level and the federal level," Conway said. "At the national level, our industry just played a critical role in passing a national menu labeling standard, so that now customers in many restaurants will be able to have in front of them the exact nutritional content of the various menu items."

Yeager said at a press conference Tuesday that he hopes the ordinance will spark other counties and states to pass similar legislation.

Restaurants will have a 90-day grace period beginning May 11 before the ordinance goes into effect.

[Predicto]

"But the decision, which affects about a dozen fast food restaurants in unincorporated areas of Silicon Valley,

Lol. 12 fast food joints affected. Talk about a sybolic gesture.

[Bang]

I'd sugest watching about two hours of Nickelodeon or Disney or any other kids programming to see just how the advertising is blasted at them.

And it always has been. the biggest godsend Madison Avenue ever had was children's breakfast cereal. Funny characters, animated commercials, prizes inside the boxes, it worked like a charm, and it still does. Of all the demographics in America, kids are among the heaviest marketed groups. (Rated G movies far and away gross more money than any other ratijng there is. Like exponentially. There's a new Pixar or Disney movie every month these days because they make TONS of money)

Kids can be VERY persuasive. Prizes for kids can be VERY persuasive. If you don't remember begging your mom for the cereal that had the cool sticker or the miniature glow in the dark super ball in it, you led a VERY sheltered life. Like one that had no grocery stores or televisions within a hundred miles.

Advertisers market kids so aggressively because for families that have them, they are one HUGE expense. No matter what you do you're spending money, and more oftn than anyone would likely care to admit, you'll spend it on something they like. Kids are VERY susceptible to enticements, flashing lights, pretty colors, LOUD LOUD LOUD commercials (Seriously,, on Nickelodeon the ads are so much higher in volume than any other programming it will jolt you out of your seat.) Why do you think McDonalds now has a big display for all the toys instead of just giving you the mystery thing like when we were small?

Here's another little nugget of truth... McDonalds, Cap'n Crunch, these companies don't give toys away because they're being NICE. They do it because it is a clear enticement. New disney movie? Come into McD's for all six collector happy meal toys! You get ten ads a day for them onj TV, and another twelve ads for the movie itself driving that desire right thru their little skulls.

To think that a parent can just say no all their lives and never see their kids influenced by this stuff is as naive as thinking taking toys out of happy meals will make kids eat better.

~Bang

[AsburySkinsFan]

Late to the party I know, but I totally agree with this law because I've got two kids and their toy boxes are loaded full of these crap toys that do nothing but crawl out into the middle of the floor and slip under your bare foot as you're walking to the bathroom at 2am in the dark.

[Special K]

I was all wound up and ready for a rare trip on to my soapbox in The Tailgate then you had to go and post these. Sigh. Said it far better than I.

What can I say PCS, I quick on soapbox draw!

BANG - You make a good point about marketing to children. They definitely are bombarded by clever marketing and I agree they are influenced by that marketing. I still maintain that taking toys out of happy meals is an absurd strategy to combat this situation...which it sounds like you think that too.

One thing that is kind of interesting to think about this particular situation in regards to how we've restricted tobacco industry marketing, particularly to children... There really are some parallels, although I'm much more in support of curbing the tobacoo industry than I am in taking away children's toys from happy meals. It'll also be interesting to see if other counties and/or states follow in these steps.

[Special K]

Late to the party I know, but I totally agree with this law because I've got two kids and their toy boxes are loaded full of these crap toys that do nothing but crawl out into the middle of the floor and slip under your bare foot as you're walking to the bathroom at 2am in the dark.

You just made me totally want to send a huge shipment of tiny toys to your house!

[Predicto]

You just made me totally want to send a huge shipment of tiny toys to your house!

I suggest jacks.

[Special K]

I suggest jacks.

That's funny, I was actually thinking of those, but couldn't remember their names and figured saying "those little pronged toys that I can't remember the name of" would take away from my point, lol.