The city of San Francisco has passed new legislation in the hopes of forcing fast food restaurants to make the meals they sell to children healthier. The new ordinance, given preliminary approval by an 8-3 vote of the Board of Supervisors, would ban restaurants like McDonald’s from giving away toys with meals that have excessive calories, sodium or fat. It would also insist that any meal marketed to children through toy give aways include some kind of fruit or vegetable.
The measure drew enough support to override a promised veto from Mayor Gavin Newsom. The supervisors are expected to vote a second time to override the veto.
Naturally, McDonald’s and local owners of McDonald’s chains aren’t happy. Scott Rodrick, an owner and operator of 10 McDonald’s restaurants in the city, told the AP that, “there will be sales loss, there may be jobs impacted, and I know the city of San Francisco will lose tax income to people wanting a McDonald’s experience without government intervention.”
But local government officials stand behind the new legislation. ”From San Francisco to New York, the epidemic of childhood obesity in this country is making people sick, making our kids sick, particularly kids from low-income neighborhoods,” Supervisor Eric Mar told the AP. Mar proposed the new law.
None of the menu items at McDonald’s meet the new laws nutritional guidelines. If the expected challenges to this new law don’t succeed, it will go into effect December 11th.
