Florida Moves To Block Bans On Fast-Food Toy Giveaways -Report

[The Straight Story]

Florida Moves To Block Bans On Fast-Food Toy Giveaways -Report


A committee in Florida's state Senate on Wednesday passed a measure aimed at preventing local governments from enacting bans on toy giveaways by fast-food restaurants, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

The Senate commerce and tourism committee voted 5-1 in favor of a bill containing the provision, which had been added late and without debate. It calls for blocking any local regulation of "matters related to the nutritional content and marketing of foods offered in such establishments."

The language had been requested by the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, whose 10,000 members include fast-food giants McDonald's Corp. (MCD), Burger King Holdings Inc. (BKC) and others.

Richard Turner, a lobbyist for the trade group, told the newspaper after Wednesday's vote that restaurants want to pre-empt local laws such as those that have begun cropping up in California that ban fast-food outlets from distributing toys with meals and other high-calorie offerings aimed at children.

http://www.automatedtrader.net/real-time-dow-jones/51932/florida-moves-to-block-bans-on-fast_food-toy-giveaways-_report

[flvegan]

1. "nutritional content"

That sounds mighty suspicious.

[bpcmxr]

2. Fast food money speaks. n/t

[HopeHoops]

3. Fat kids are healthy kids, right?

Wait, what?

[Dappleganger]

4. Talk about BIG GOV!

What they are doing is trying to block local governments from enacting their own rules, their own taxes, etc.

And just how many jobs will this create?? ZERO

[seafan]

5. Gotta keep that cheap slave labor product coming from overseas.

It's only "nutritional" when a child swallows the plastic toy parts and gets turned down from health coverage for *a preexisting condition*.



Florida GOP Senate panel quietly adopts McDonald's-backed provision that prevents fast-food-toy bans

March 9, 2011

Backed by lobbyists for chains such as McDonald's, a Florida Senate panel quietly adopted a measure Wednesday designed to prevent local governments from passing laws that ban toy giveaways by fast-food restaurants.

.....

The amendment, which was filed at the last minute and adopted without any debate, would block local governments from adopting any regulations dealing with "matters related to the nutritional content and marketing of foods offered in such establishments." The Senate (Commerce and Tourism Committee) panel then approved the overall legislation on a 5-1 vote.

.....

Richard Turner, a lobbyist for the (Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association), said after the hearing that restaurants want to proactively quelch local laws that have begun cropping up in California that ban fast-food restaurants such as McDonald's from distributing toys with Happy Meals and similar, high-calorie offerings aimed at kids.

Governments from Santa Clara County to the city of San Francisco have in recent months passed ordinances banning such toy giveaways unless the meals meet strict nutritional standards, such as reduced fat, sugar and sodium content.

.....

Elegant how this works...

While pushing high calorie, fat-sugar-salt-laden fast food onto our children, Big Fast Food Corporations preserve the steady flow into our country of cheap, sometimes toxic toys made by slave labor; decimating attempts to encourage healthy food choices in kids and adults; setting the stage for Big Pharma to step in to sell more diabetic/obesity/high blood pressure medications; Big Health Insurance standing by to collect premiums while denying care.



The radical GOP corporate criminals in charge have mortgaged our country, our state, our children, our lives.

[Modern_Matthew]

6. Good for them. Bans like that are a bit too nanny state for me, anyway. nt

[Incitatus]

7. Even if it doesn't work there's an easy fix. 1 cent toy with purchase of kid's meal! nt