The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has determined that many fast food
kids’ meals contain enough calories of an entire day. Nanci Hellmich of
USA TODAY reports:
Overall, the findings reveal that 93% of the kids' meals at McDonald's and Wendy's contain more than 430 calories, the average number of calories that children ages 4 to 8 should get at a single meal. The comparable numbers are 92% at Burger King; 89% at Dairy Queen; 69% at Arby's; 60% at Denny's. The latter's kids' meals don't include drinks.
On the healthful side, about 67% of the kids' meals at Subway have fewer than 430 calories.
"When you go to most chain restaurants, ordering off the kids' menu is a nightmare," says Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and the mother of a 10-year-old daughter.
"Right now kids' meals are almost all unhealthy meals when they should be almost all healthy meals," she says "At the very least, restaurants should list calories on the menu so that parents can navigate through this minefield of calories and fat to find the healthy options."
Let that be a lesson to you if you actually believe fast food giants are concerned about kids’ dietary needs. For more, here’s the CSPI analysis:
Obesity on the Kids’ Menus at Top Chains.
