Five “Healthy” Kids Meals as Unhealthy as Twinkies, Big Macs, Bacon
Fast-food chains including McDonald’s and Burger King announced plans last July to make kids meals healthier. But PCRM’s new Five Worst “Healthy” Fast-Food Kids Meals report found meals still alarmingly high in fat, cholesterol, sodium, and sugar.
The five worst “healthy” fast-food kids meals are:
| Five Worst “Healthy” Fast-Food Kids Meals |
| Meal |
Nutrition Shocker |
| Chick-fil-A Kids Grilled Nuggets Kids Meal |
Contains the same amount of cholesterol as a Big Mac. |
| McDonald’s Cheeseburger Happy Meal |
Contains more sodium than 13 orders of McDonald’s kids fries. |
| Sonic Kids’ Jr. Burger Meal |
Contains more sugar than two Twinkies. |
| Burger King Hamburger Kids Meal |
Contains almost as much cholesterol as six slices of pork bacon. |
| Denny's Build Your Own Jr. Grand Slam |
Contains almost 100 more milligrams of sodium than the government recommends children consume at breakfast. |
“So far, the fast-food industry, subsidized by large federal agricultural subsidies for meat and dairy, has little incentive to offer healthier meals,” PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D., wrote in his blog. “To force a real change, it is the true stakeholders in this debate: parents, pediatricians—and politicians, who need to keep up the pressure against the fast-food industry with their deep pockets and their “happy” meals that are threatening the very future of our children.”
This month marks the one-year anniversary of the Kids LiveWell campaign, a high-profile initiative launched by the National Restaurant Association, where restaurant chains including Burger King and Chick-fil-A pledged to offer and promote healthier kids meals. McDonald’s does not participate in Kids LiveWell, but last July the fast-food giant also announced plans to make its Happy Meals more nutritious.
To read the complete report, visit PCRM.org/Health.
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