Limiting Calories in Kids' Meals Can Have Positive Impact, Study Says

A proposed bill in New York could cut kids' meals by 54 calories.

A new kids' meal-related bill proposed by New York City Councilor Benjamin J. Kallos could potentially have a large impact on public health. According to a press release, the bill — called the "Healthy Happy Meals" Bill — would require, if passed, that all fast food meals marketed toward children with promotional items (such as toys) would have to include a serving of fruit, vegetables, or whole grains, and they must be 500 calories or less. Additionally, only 35 percent of the calories can come from fat, less than 10 percent can come from saturated fat, and less than 10 percent can be from added sugars. Researchers from NYU's Langone Medical Center recently conducted a study to determine the impact on the nutrition of children and found that the bill would reduce the number of calories a child consumes.

To conduct the study, the researchers analyzed receipts collected in 2013 and 2014 from 358 adults in New York City who made purchases for 422 children at McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's, all three of which serve kids' meals. On average, the adults purchased around 600 calories for each child with over 36 percent of the calories coming from fat. Ninety-eight percent of the kids' meals analyzed did not meet the requirements outlined in the bill. However, researchers found that if the bill is passed and meals are forced to meet the requirements, there would be a 54 calorie drop between the kids' meals. Professor and researcher Dr. Brian Elbel notes: "While 54 calories at a given meal is a small reduction, small changes that affect a wide number of people can make a large impact."

A similar bill was passed in San Francisco in 2010. The bill mandated that kids' meals had to have fewer than 600 calories and contain fruits or vegetables in order to be served with a free toy. Cities in California are battling childhood obesity in other ways, too. The city of Berkeley recently passed a law that puts a tax on sugary beverages such as soda.

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