N E W S B L O G S: Brooklyn Assemblyman Felix Ortiz is pushing a bill to bar restaurants from including toys with children's meals unless food meets nutritional standards

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Brooklyn Assemblyman Felix Ortiz is pushing a bill to bar restaurants from including toys with children's meals unless food meets nutritional standards

McDonald's 'Happy Meal' is targeted; fast food giant opposes bill

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BY KENNETH LOVETT / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Wednesday, May 9, 2012, 6:53 PM

TIM ROSKE

Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D-Brooklyn) is pushing a bill that would prevent comanies from offering toys with meals unless the food meets nutritional standards.

ALBANY — A state assemblyman from Brooklyn wants to make Happy Meals less happy for children.

Democrat Felix Ortiz has sponsored a bill to outlaw restaurants from giving away toys, trading cards and other trinkets with children’s meals unless the food meets nutritional standards.

Ortiz charged fast-food chains are a major reason so many children are suffering from obesity and illnesses related to the condition.

“If they can make the items more healthy, then providing the toys as a reward will be fine with me,” Ortiz said.

His bill would bar restaurants from giving out toys unless the meals they come with are less than 500 calories, have less than 600 milligrams of sodium and include less than 35% of total daily allowance of calories from fat.

The bill would also require that less than 10% of the meal’s calorie content come from sugars. Also a no-no would be “non-nutritive sweeteners” and caffeine.

Violations would be met with civil fines. The bill is being sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx).

Ortiz once pushed a failed bill to ban sodium in restaurant cooking but had more success with a measure that prohibited motorists from using hand-held cell phones.

Ortiz denied that his latest bill deprives people of their right to choose what to eat, or a parent’s right to make that choice for their children.

“If (restaurants) are going to promote anything, they should give consumers choices — the choice of having an alternative on the menu that is healthier,” he said.

He reasoned that if fast food joints like McDonald’s want to give away promotional toys to children, they should offer items like veggie burgers, turkey meat and salads.

McDonald’s spokeswoman Heather Oldani said the fast food giant opposes the bill.

She said the company’s restaurants have begun offering apples and smaller portions of fries in its Happy Meals.

“We’re committed to being a part of the solution, but we don’t agree that taking away a toy is necessarily going to solve childhood obesity,” Oldani said.

A recent study of obesity noted that roughly 17% of children and teens in America were obese in 2009 and 2010, the latest data that was available.

klovett@nydailynews.com