In an effort to fight child obesity, San Francisco has barred fast food restaurants like McDonald's from selling "toy included" Happy Meals unless the meals meet certain nutritional guidelines (by including, for example, a half-cup of fruit or vegetables). Sounds wise, says writer Joshua Gans in the Harvard Business Review, but the strategy could just make kids fatter. Restaurants could technically follow the new rules by dropping the "bait" toys, while adding extra fries or sweets to ensure that their kids' meals are still tempting. Will the Happy Meal ban backfire?
This is a legitimate concern: Gans is right on the money, say the editors of The Periscope Post. Many boys and girls probably don't care all that much about the toys anyway — they really "just want the fatty, golden delicious fries." Take out the toy, and the best way to lure in kids is the same trick that works so well with adults — "supersize!"
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