Calif. County Law Bans Toys in Unhealthy Kids’ Meals

April 28, 2010 -- Government officials in Santa Clara, Calif., have passed a law that would prohibit restaurants from giving away toys and other incentive items with kids’ meals that do not meet national nutritional criteria set by the Institute of Medicine. The initiative’s supporters say it would make unhealthy meals less appealing and help curb obesity and other health problems linked to high-calorie, low-nutrient fare.

The IOM report Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity? found in 2005 that marketing practices aimed at children -- including bonus toys and giveaways -- have put their health at risk by contributing to their consumption of high-calorie, low-nutrient food and beverages, and setting dangerous eating patterns that can extend their whole lives.

IOM’s related reports, Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance and Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity, provide details on the causes of rising obesity rates and recommend strategies and steps that can be taken by policymakers, the food industry, and other groups to tackle the problem.