Just days after introducing the colorful “Step It” fitness trackers in Happy Meals, McDonald’s is removing them because the plastic bands are giving children skin irritations.
In a statement sent to the CNN, Terri Hickey, a spokeswoman for McDonald’s, said that they took “swift and voluntary” steps after receiving several reports of potential rashes and burns. She further stated that nothing is more important to them than the safety of their customers, and they will thoroughly investigate the issue.
The kid’s pedometer came in six bright colors and was part of their Rio Olympics healthy lifestyle campaign to get kids moving. The fitness tracker counted steps while blinking to indicate how fast the child was moving. The wearable was set to be available for four weeks in the U.S. and Canada.
A recent Facebook post –which has been shared more than 130,000 times — showed pictures of a young boy who received a burn on his arm from the Happy Meal toy, after playing with it for just eight minutes.
Terri Hickey has not replied to requests of the CNN for additional information about the manufacturer of the activity trackers and how many incidents occurred.
The irony of a sneaky marketing campaign
McDonald’s promotional stunt to include a fitness device has sparked a lot of discussion on whether it would actually help children to get more active and live a healthier lifestyle.
With devices such as FitBit or Jawbone becoming more popular and high-tech, McDonald’s seems to be jumping onto the latest trends and fads rather than making their food more healthy.
Some health experts have been praising fitness trackers to motivate kids to be more active. Lisa Gualtieri, an assistant professor of public health at Tufts University School of Medicine, told the Boston Magazine how she loved the idea that McDonald’s included a Step-it fitness tracker to promote physical activity.
Others, however, pointed out the irony of an unhealthy fast food chain giving out health-minded gadgets and are happy to see the project failing. They said that while pedometers are useful for promoting physical activities, devices such as Step-its shouldn’t cast McDonald’s food under a health halo.
According to Jennifer A. Emond, assistant professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, these McDonald’s toys are not a credible way to promote a healthy lifestyle to children. She said that it is a common tactic used by the food industry to divert parents’ attention away from poor nutrition, making them “feel better” when they buy a Happy Meal for their child.
Harmful toys, not the only questionable ingredient in the beloved kid’s menu
Rash-causing toys in a Happy Meal is far from the only thing harming children’s health and well-being. If we may believe Complete Health and Happiness, a happy meal contains 78 food additives, of which some are very toxic, especially for their developing brain.
Apart from housing a wide range of questionable ingredients such as colorants and preservatives, a Happy Meal with fries, a cheeseburger, apple slices and a milk jug also contains 530 calories and 20 grams of fat.
As reported by CNN, it would take an adult man who weighs 195 pounds about 90 minutes to walk off the calories present in a Happy Meal.
If you want to keep your children healthy, it is far more important to take them to the park or go for a walk instead of feeding them Happy Meals. Furthermore, it is important to eat an abundance of fresh, homegrown fruits and vegetables and stay as far away as possible from toxic fast food chains.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/055039_McDonalds_happy_meal_toys_fitness_tracker.html#ixzz4HzQ7e44g
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