McDonald’s Happy Meals Under Fire

McDonald’s is coming under fire for marketing toys with their kids meals.

Apparently, plastic trinkets are turning the children of America into fatties. Who knew?

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) consumer advocacy group is threatening to sue the fast food chain, arguing that Mickey D’s “unfairly and deceptively” markets the toys to children in hopes of getting their parents to fork over fistfuls of dough on cheeseburgers and Chicken McNuggets. McDonald’s has been receiving similar criticism for decades and in response have added healthier alternatives to their Happy Meals, including apple dippers and lowfat milk. Not good enough, says CSPI president Stephen Gardner.

“McDonald’s marketing has the effect of conscripting America’s children into an unpaid drone army of word-of-mouth marketers, causing them to nag their parents to bring them to McDonald’s.”

We wonder if this consumer group will file a similar suit against Wendy’s and Burger King. Don’t they also peddle toys and charm bracelets with their meals for kids?