In the city of San Francisco, the ordinance that prohibits giving toys with meals that do not comply with certain nutritional standards came into force yesterday, precisely to prevent children from being incentivized to follow an incorrect and unhealthy diet which then, as we know , leads to the dangerous increase in the phenomenon of childhood obesity. But whoever thought that this law would put an end to the baby-friendly creation of Mc Donald's was very wrong: the fast food giant has in fact circumvented the rule with a clever stratagem to say the least. Instead of redefining the menu designed for the little ones as promised, inserting healthier and more nutritious foods, he has well thought of paying for the toy included in the package.
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There is new Mc Donald's in the crosshairs of nutritionists and health experts from all over the world and once again the subject of the accusation is the famous Happy Meal, the menu designed - in small portions - for the little ones and which gives a toy as a gift. In fact, it is still a matter of hamburger or fried chicken, french fries or an apple and a drink of your choice which, sadly, most of the time is something extremely sugary and gassed. For this in the city of San Francisco theorder and prohibits giving away toys with meals that do not comply with certain nutritional standards, precisely to avoid encouraging children to follow aincorrect and unhealthy diet which then, as we know, leads to the dangerous increase in the phenomenon ofchildhood obesity.
But whoever thought that this law would put an end to the baby-friendly creation of Mc Donald's, was very wrong: the fast food giant has in fact evaded the norm with one ploy smart to say the least. Instead of redefining the menu designed for the little ones as promised, inserting healthier and more nutritious foods, he has well thought of paying for the toy included in the package.
A negligible amount, just 10 cents, but which thus allows the multinational to comply with the law and continue "to offer our customers what they want", says Scott Rodrick, manager of 10 of the 19 McDonald's restaurants in San Francisco.
A brilliant idea, which we hope, however, will bring unexpected effects for the hamburger giant: if it is true, in fact, that theHappy Meal it was strategically designed to be combined with a free toy, it is also true that, when parents find themselves having to pay for what was once a gift, they may decide not to buy it. This would involve a redefinition of agreements between Mc Donald's and the major film majors or video game companies, which provided their own gadgets for promote their latest product.
In short, if the toy is rejected by families because it is paid for, then it is likely that these large companies will withdraw their agreements. In short, it could be a failure per Mc Donald’s. Could. Because unfortunately the strategists of the multinational have also thought about giving a solidarity value to these 10 cents, letting it be known that the proceeds from the sale will go into Charity to finance the construction of the Ronald McDonald House, which will offer accommodation for families with sick children admitted to UC San Francisco Hospital.
In short, parents can refuse to buy the toy, but at that point it would not be wiser to take our children to eat in a healthier and healthier place. educate them not to fall into the traps of advertising and to love genuine foods and flavors?
Read also The 9 valid reasons not to eat at McDonald's
Eleonora Cresci
Photo: Chiu / AP
