We all know that kids are susceptible to advertising, so when
fast food chains started using popular cartoon characters to
promote their high-calorie fare, it seemed like a no-win
situation for parents hoping to teach their tykes about healthy
eating. So in 2010, a California county became the first in the
nation to ban toys from fast-food children’s meals that were
high in calories, salt, fat and sugar, with the idea being that
eliminating the toys would make the meals less enticing to kids.
And researchers say that the ordinance seems to be having an
effect — at least on the way the fast-food chains advertise
their goods. In a preliminary look at whether the ban actually
improved the menu options offered and marketed by fast-food
chains, Jennifer Otten, a research fellow at Stanford
University’s Prevention Research Center, and her colleagues
included eight restaurants — four were in regions in Santa Clara
county that had to comply with the ban, while the other four
were in the same restaurant chains outside