I don't see how this is any different than the way any public-owned company does business. Wouldn't it be nice if companies moved away from this of their own accord? Of course, but the corporate climate doesn't allow it. Had they decided in, say, the late 1980s to end marketing junk food to children... they could have been sued by the stockholders for not maximizing profits. It's all about self-preservation, folks.

As for the theme park junk food, I think that gets some leeway because they're sold at a less frequent destination than your local supermarket. Sucking on a Mickey lollipop while in line for POTC the ride is one thing. Waking up morning after morning and having POTC cereal is quite another.

Even if Disney is doing this to avoid a legal storm, the end result is still good. Kids should not eat junkfood. Hooray for Bill Clinton...did I just say that??!?!

I understand not promoting junk food by other companies.  But, some junk food must still be sold at the theme parks, and these aren't really "advertised"...like those character cookies.  There are bakeries all around WDW, and they serve junk food (cakes, pies, cookies, etc., must count as junk food, right)?  I can understand getting rid of those Mickey candy bars (and I hope they don't stop making the Mickey ice creams)...I just wonder how far they'll go.  The Happy Meal promotions have been successful for the movies since they began.  How many more people saw "The Wild" because of their Happy Meal toy?  It'll be interesting to see how far Disney and other companies go.  Little kids don't usually go grocery shopping by themselves; if there is a box of "Cars" cereal in someone's home, an adult probably bought it for the children.  Parents do have some blame, too (call me Captain Obvious).  That Scooby Doo macaroni on my shelf is by Kraft...they haven't completely stopped making kid-friendly food.

So when Disney's lawyers find out that the real reason for childhood obesity is sitting in front of the TV, is Disney going to get out of that market too?

I understand Disney's skittishness - after all, they've got nice, deep pockets and some sharp lawyer would be happy to add them on as a plaintiff in a junk food lawsuit. But I have my doubts that the big payday in a Big Food lawsuit will ever materialize, or if it does it may not happen for a long time to come. Every attempt so far to try to nail McDonald's et. al. in court has been tossed out, there's no evidence that Big Food has tried to hide the health dangers of their products (unlike Big Tobacco), and most of opinion polls find that people still thing that being fat is your own fault, not the fault of Big Food.

Of course, the big money lawyers, not to mention the big money pharma companies and the big government agencies want the "obesity crisis" to be a function of junk food. Which is strange since the folks now living to well past their
due date were exposed to just as much candy, sodas,sugar filled cerials and donuts as todays kids are. I think JesterColorado has hit the nail on the head. The big difference is that today's kids aren't out playing games on the streets or in the schoolyards, they're home in front of the TV playing video games or watching the Disney channel. The difference is that the junk food companies have deep pockets but are less well constitutionally protected than the media companies. And BTW, when I was in high school, I lost my parents and survived by eating at McDonald's 6 out of 7 days a week. I was also in the best shape of my life, because I worked a physically demanding job at the same time. So I'm not going for the "junkfood=death" meme.

Maybe I'm just a fan of junk food, but I'm a little disappointed that McDonald's isn't getting it's due for upgrading their menu choices since Supersize Me came out. Again, a corporate, legal, and PR decision, but still, my girls can have sliced apples and milk instead of french fries and soda with their chicken nuggets. That's a good thing, and I'd like to see them get a pat on the back from long-time colleagues like Disney instead of the boot.

It's still not exactly a natural foods store, but I'm with JesterColorado and pshnebs - there's a lot more to childhood obesity than Happy Meals. I guess since you can't file a class action suit against Parents of the USA, we're supposed to celebrate the opportunist attorneys that point their fingers anywhere but us. I don't know if I consider Disney's move to be regrettibly sensible or just (mc)chicken, but I'm pretty sure how I feel about the lawsuits.

Al one needs to do is look at your average Disney fan (adults even, let alone the kids) and you know this is  good idea.

They're going to fight so hard to combat childhood obesity, but apparently obese adults are completely acceptable. Let's not forget, also, the other contributing factors to childhood obesity, such as: using the tv or computer as a babysitter; cutting funding for youth sports so even if they wanted to, kids cannot join a local baseball/soccer/cheerleading team; parents setting the example of eating nothing but fast food and unhealthy food as being okay; and so forth. There probably wasn't the same kind of marketing in the late 80s and early 90s, but I grew up just fine, I'm not obese (far from it; 93lbs; and I am perfectly healthy and not anorexic thankyouverymuch). There is more to this than Disney characters on junk food.

Just an aside here, but looking at your pics of what is served in the parks reminded me of those hideous "make your own" colored sugar tubes stations that seem to frequently pop-up in the Magic Kingdom.  I believe Goofy hawks those --  I'm not sure.  Teenagers seem to surround those kiosks but I've also seen parents letting toddlers and preschoolers fill those up and suck them down like pixie stix on steroids! Parental judgement aside, how about Disney also take its share of responsibility in the parks as well?  "We've only one fruit cart folks, but your kids can thow tantrums for colored sugar tubes in any number of convenient locations . . ."  

America's Children aren't fat because of advertising. Theyre fat because of lazy parents. Maybe if you instilled good eating habits in your children, instead of shutting them up with a happy meal and a mickey mouse shaped cookie, your kids wouldnt be fat.

Not marketing to youngsters wont stop kids from eating big macs. Teaching parents some basic parenting skills would.

I get so sick and tired of this issue.  This isn't a question of what people are or are not doing.  This is about opportunistic lawyers going after businesses that have deep pockets.  If it isn't about making little kids fat, then it is going to be about the coffee being too hot and burning people who stupidly pour it in their laps.  This is all getting way out of hand.  Have you seen some of the ridiculous warnings that are on every single product available to the public?  All of those came from some lawyer finding a convenient victim and then finding a liberal judge and jury and screwing the company for millions.  Those millions are then paid by the consumers.  Take the medical community for example:  It started off with people suing doctors for screwing up, and the doctors had to pay out of pocket, but it was pretty much in control because you can only squeeze so much money out of one doctor.  Then the doctors decided to protect themselves by buying malpractice insurance, then instead of the doctor paying, the insurance company was paying.  Well, the insurance company has much more money than the doctor so the plaintiffs were awarded much more money, thus the insurance rates go up, and now the doctors can’t afford it, so they raise the rates, now poor people can’t afford to go to a doctor, so they go to a much more expensive hospital instead of a doctor’s office because the hospital is required by law to take care of them.  Now the hospital is in financial trouble because they have to keep giving out free service.  So they raise their rates….and on and on and on until an aspirin at a hospital costs $50 per tablet.
The lawyers are going to sink this country right into the abyss if we let them run unchecked.
Shame on Disney for giving in to the lawyers!!

I think I’m going to sue Disney for not maximizing my profit….

"Blah, blah, blah", I say.

McDonalds "food" is disgusting, plain and simple. Ain't fit for livestock. And as for all the obesity and malnutrition-- personally, I'd rather more pleasant company, not to mention scenery… There are scientific studies proving the relationship between diet and learning. Trends have a way of seeping through a population; undermining us all, in the end. Even the cleverest among us.

How sick and dumb do we have to get before we realize we're _really_ screwing up?!

The lawyers, Îisney... it's all about making money and being able to continue doing so.  Would it be nice if these things changed for more altruistic reasons? Yes, but I think it's the most effective and quick way to change things here in the US. I mean, if you look at how Civil Rights in the '60s took off- it's alot of business boycotts and lunch counter sit-ins.

As for theme parks, how often do most people go to them anyway? I only went once a year to DL as a kid, now once every couple months with my AP... I can't help but think the real weekly-or-so regulars are those who bring over tons of bags from Vons, take over outdoor seating and have their New Years party.

How 'bout equipping McDonald's with free video games/internet/movies/whatever but they are connected to treadmills that you have to keep walking to keep the power on. :)

It doesn't surprise me that the motives for this move are essentially legal worries and not genuine concern for children's health. But hey, I now have the option of getting carrots with my Pecos Bill burger instead of fries while on vacation. Or hey, skip the burger, I can now get a turkey wrap and salad at a different counter service location.

When it comes to families on vacation I think, unfortunately or not, Americans generally view this as a time of indulgence and guilty pleasures. I doubt that Disney is whole-heartedly interested in taking away all of those unhealthy opportunities in their parks that vacationers crave. The move with McDonalds and changing many counter service offerings is symbolic and seemingly surface-skimming at best.

PS: I'll take the fries with that Pecos Bill burger, thank you ;)  

Hey y'all! I'm new and here's what I think.

(1) Personal responsibiluty.
(2) Always use your power for good.
(3) The other day we were in the market's "healthy snack" aisle deciding on which fruit chewys to buy. I lobbied hard for the "pirates of the carribean" version, despite my 4 year olds protests. Why? Because Johnny Depp was on the box. (as an aside, JD lost to Fairly Odd PArents)

Like this site a lot!

<i>Jim Hill rolls out yet another new feature for the site. One that will attempt to update JHM readers on stories that the site has already run. This time around, Jim talks about healthier food that feature the Disney characters, a mystery Mickey

<i>Jim Hill rolls out yet another new feature for the site. One that will attempt to update JHM readers on stories that the site has already run. This time around, Jim talks about healthier food that feature the Disney characters, a mystery Mickey