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" Is McDonald&amp;#039;s pulling a classic bait-and-switch routine on its customers? A consumer advocacy group, Center for Science in the Public Interest, believes they are and is threatening to sue the fast-food behemoth unless they end the practice of using toys to promote their products to children. On Tuesday, CSPI notified McDonald&amp;#039;s of its intent to sue unless the company agreed to change its ways within the next 30 days. The Oak Brook, Illinois-based corporation insists it&amp;#039;s adhering to its own commitment to promote healthier options to children.  &amp;quot;We couldn&amp;#039;t disagree more with the misrepresentation of our food and marketing practices made by the Center for Science in the Public Interest,&amp;quot; the company said in a statement after CSPI presented them with their notice. &amp;quot;Since 2006, we have been a part of the Council for Better Business Bureau&amp;#039;s voluntary initiative to address the importance of children&amp;#039;s well-being. In the U.S., McDonald&amp;#039;s primarily advertises the four-piece Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal which includes Apple Dippers, low-fat caramel dip and one percent low-fat white milk.&amp;quot; Steve Gardner, the attorney for CSPI, isn&amp;#039;t impressed. Yes, McDonald&amp;#039;s does promote its Happy Meals with ads featuring its Apple Dippers and low-fat milk, he said, but when push comes to shove \u2013 when parents and offspring arrive at the Golden Arches \u2013 that&amp;#039;s rarely what they get. Fries and not Apple Dippers are the default unless the parents specifically request them and, anyway, it&amp;#039;s not as if apples dipped in sugary caramel are that much of an improvement. And it&amp;#039;s certainly not as if a Happy Meal is a particularly healthy option itself. I wonder, too, just how much more expensive McDonald&amp;#039;s Apple Dippers are than its French fries. Does Mickey D make more of a profit off its fries than the apples? &amp;quot;Insidious&amp;quot; is how CSPI describes McDonald&amp;#039;s promotion tactics and they&amp;#039;re certainly not the first to take that stand. Earlier this year, the Board of Supervisors of Santa Clara County, Calif., voted to ban toy promotions in restaurants in the county&amp;#039;s unincorporated communities. So, at what point does parental responsibility end and corporate responsibility begin? Do you ever feel like you&amp;#039;re competing with McDonald&amp;#039;s, or any other fast food chain, for your kids&amp;#039; attention? Have you ever just bought the darned Happy Meal because it was easier than listening to your children&amp;#039;s badgering? Or, as some insist, is this shaping up to be little more than a frivolous lawsuit? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.delish.com/food/news/a38252/is-mcdonalds-pulling-the-wool-over-kids-eyes/>