SF Fast-food toy ban gets supervisors' first OK

[alp227]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

(11-02) 17:41 PDT San Francisco -- The San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave preliminary approval Tuesday to banning toy giveaways in Happy Meals and similar fast-food offerings aimed at kids unless they have reduced sodium, fat and sugar content and include fruit and vegetables.

The legislation, which sponsors said is intended to promote healthy eating and help combat childhood obesity, was passed on an 8-3 vote - the bare minimum needed to overturn Mayor Gavin Newsom's promised veto.

The board is scheduled to take a final vote next week. If it goes on the books, the restrictions wouldn't go into effect until December 2011.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/02/BA111G5PCN.DTL

[Starbucks Anarchist]

1. Easier than parenting.

[proteus_lives]

3. Isn't it?

This shit is so stupid.

[Devil_Fish]

2. They should ban them because plastic is killing our planet, not because kids are getting fat. NT

[Raschel]

5. I agree. Kids keep this little plastic junk for two days and it all gets thrown away.

[tomm2thumbs]

4. are they going after cereal toys next? because that really is what started our country's decline

not

[vduhr]

6. Now this IS too much government in out lives.

[dogknob]

7. I wonder if there are any hard-core collectors out there...

...You know, the kind of people who might have a complete set of unopened Star Wars action figures from the 70s. I imagine a giant walk-in freezer somewhere in Illinois filled with a few decades' worth of uneaten Happy Meals. The dude could tell you all about how the toys were better in 1979 than in '77, but if you can get mint '84s, then your collection is solid.

I love America.

[pinniped]

8. If the board of stupidvisors put this on the ballot it would be soundly defeated.

The entire board is comprised of idiots.

[depakid]

11. So you live there?

or just like junk food marketing?

[ronnie624]

9. Good.

Why entice children into eating junk? Rewarding them for eating healthy foods makes much more sense. Parents have enough trouble getting their children to eat right, without interference from corporate propaganda and advertising gimmicks.

[depakid]

10. The corporatists on this thread really are impressive

I guess many purported Democrats just love billions of dollars spent in insidious marketing to children to addict them to unhealthy junk food- and dramatically increasing their rates of diabetes and osteoporosis.

As usual- and much like many of the politicians who lost tonight, the Republican meme of "personal" responsibility always trumps corporate responsibility and regulation in the public interest.