Australian fast-food chain KFC has promised to remove the toys from its children's meals. This has been cheered by anti-obesity lobby groups. KFC will start eliminating the toys from today and expects stocks to run out by the end of September. According to KFC corporate affairs manager Zac Rich this decision was taken because “it is the right thing to do”. It comes three years after the store committed to stop advertising or actively promoting its kids menu. He said, “From KFC's point of view it is definitely time to move on… We think the idea of toys being given away with meals has had its day and we're pleased to be taking the lead in removing them. This is the next step in removing so-called pester power at our stores altogether.”
“KFC was a founding member of the Australian Quick Service Industry Initiative for Responsible Advertising to children and the withdrawal of toys continues our commitment to the principles we signed up to. We hope this decision today will support parents in making dietary decisions on behalf of their children which are not influenced in any way by pressure to choose the meal that has a toy,” Rich said.
The Obesity Policy Coalition's Jane Martin says other fast food chains should follow suit. She said, “I think it's a real win for parents…Parents are so familiar with the pester power that these kinds of toys create. We'd really urge other fast food outlets, particularly McDonald's and Hungry Jack's, to follow this example and stop using toys and premiums to market junk food to kids.” She noted that one-in-four children overweight or obese and more steps need to be taken to reduce a child's exposure to toy-based marketing techniques. If trends continue, it is predicted 65 per cent of young Australians will be overweight or obese by 2020. “They're corporate Pied Pipers really, drawing our children in and then creating the pester power issue for parents to have to deal with,” she commented.
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