Chile bans fast-food chains from giving away toys to children.
The Chilean government has enacted a new law prohibiting all fast-food chains such as McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, etc., from operating in the country from including toys with children's meals.
A McDonald's Happy Meal. Photo: AP
Senator Giudo Girardi, who proposed the law, explained that the ban was justified because nearly 25% of Chilean children around the age of six are obese. The ban was enacted despite lobbying from fast-food corporations.
“These corporations threatened that if the law passed, they would no longer invest money in funds for children, the sick, or athletes. But in the end, we managed to forge an alliance between civil society and scientists to defeat those lobbyists,” Senator Giradi said.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (Washington, D.C., USA) sued McDonald's in 2010 for using toys as a marketing tool for its food to children. However, the court dismissed the accusation in April of this year.
Last year, McDonald's stores in San Francisco and New York City banned the inclusion of toys with meals high in salt, fat, and sugar. However, McDonald's continues to offer the toys by charging a small fee to customers who wish to purchase them.
It was his experience in two American cities that helped Giradi draft his fast-food regulations.
Sara Deon is an activist with Corporate Responsibility International, an organization that has been advocating for bans in the region.
According to SGTT-M
