Give the kids apple slices, I’ll eat their fries

“BOWING TO PRESSURE, MCDONALD’S TRIMS ITS HAPPY MEAL.   Bowing to pressure from health advocates and parents, McDonald’s is putting the Happy Meal on a diet.   The company announced yesterday that it would more than halve the amount of French fries and add fruit to its popular children’s meal in an effort to reduce the overall calorie count by 20%.   But McDonald’s appeasement only went so far.   A toy will still come with each Happy Meal despite criticism that the trinkets, often with tie-ins to movies like “Toy Story,” foster a powerful connection between children and the often calorie-laden meals.   Lawmakers and consumers have rallied around breaking that childhood link between toys and fast food, with the efforts increasing as Michelle Obama and national public health officials point to the estimated 17 percent rate of obesity among the nation’s youths.   Other restaurant chains have gone further than McDonald’s in acceding to calls for improving the fare on children’s menus and eliminating marketing appeals.   McDonald’s made it clear that it was changing the composition of Happy Meals in response to parental and consumer pressure.”