On April 20, 2011, I read the following in Metro: A lawsuit seeking to stop McDonald's Corp. from offering toys with Happy Meals must be dismissed because parents can always choose not to buy the meals for their children, the hamburger giant said in a court filing. The lawsuit accuses McDonald's of unfairly using toys to lure children into its restaurants. The plaintiff, a Sacramento, California mother of two, charges that the company's advertising violates California consumer protection laws.
I submitted this opinion and Metro published the letter on April 21, 2011.
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While I support giving children healthy food choices, the lawsuit against McDonald's seeking to remove the toy from the Happy Meal is a downer. The entire restaurant is a child lure, starting with its clown spokesperson. I don't see how the absence of a toy would significantly change McDonald's target audience. Isn't the onus on parents and caregivers to supervise a child's nutritional needs?