Antelope Valley Press

McDonald’s will switch to more sustainable toys

Afast food giant is changing the game when it comes to the toys included in their Happy Meals.

McDonald’s announced that it will offer sustainable Happy Meals toys by the end of 2025, that will be made with much less plastic. The company claims it has already slashed the use of virgin fossil fuel-based plastic used in the toys by 30% worldwide since 2018. The process has begun in markets to include Ireland, the United Kingdom and France.

The fast food chain began selling Happy Meals in 1979 and more than 100 countries worldwide offer them at McDonald’s locations.

The toys offered in Happy Meals have grown into a marketing mechanism for TV series and movies through partnerships with Hasbro, Disney and Warner Brothers. More than one billion McDonald’s toys are sold per year, according to Amy Murray, McDonald’s vice president of global marketing, who spoke to CNBC.

She said parents and children have expressed an interest in having more sustainable toys. Two school children in Britain started a petition in 2019, asking Burger King and McDonald’s to scrap the plastic toys in their children’s meals. The petition got international attention.

While this is a step in the right direction to help the environment, there are larger concerns surrounding McDonald’s Happy Meals — nutrition being at the top of that list.

Despite most children probably not caring too much about the food because they’re focused on what toy is inside, the reality is that what is offered isn’t entirely nutritious.

It’s an issue that McDonald’s has dealt with before. In 2018, the company revamped its food options to include items that were lower in sugar, sodium, saturated fat and calories.

Now, instead of the traditional burger, fries and soda, a Happy Meal has a couple of slightly healthier options. You still get a burger and fries, but a hamburger Happy Meal also comes with apple slices and either a 1% low fat milk jug, reduced sugar chocolate milk, Dasani water or Honest Kids Appley Ever After Organic Juice drink. The meal weighs in at 475 calories for a hamburger, fries, 1% milk and apple slices.

More fast food restaurants need to follow McDonald’s lead in not only revamping their menu options to offer healthier choices for children, but also to offer more sustainable toys in their children’s meals.

We certainly do not need more plastic ending up in landfills, where it will sit and bake in the sun for endless years.

OPINION

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2021-09-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://avpress.pressreader.com/article/281603833611364

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