Restaurants Respond Positively To Ordinance Barring Toys As Unhealthy Meal Incentives

A U.S. study of the impact of a county ordinance barring the use of toys to attract children to unhealthy meals, foods and drinks has turned up some encouraging results. Researchers found that the 2010 Santa Clara County (Calif.) ordinance “positively influenced marketing of healthful menu items and toys as well as toy distribution practices” among restaurants affected by it, though it did not affect the number of healthful food items offered. Restaurants are able to respond rapidly and in “positive and meaningful ways” to such policies, researchers concluded. A similar ordinance was passed in San Francisco County in November 2010; others have been proposed in Nebraska and New York City.