McDonald’s Hamburglared with Happy Meal lawsuit

The McDonald’s happy meal started back in June 1979 but the big moment for the meal came in 1987 when the first Disney Happy Meal was debuted. From 1996 to 2006 the toys were often Disney movie characters but Disney didn’t renew their contract as they wanted their characters to promote healthy foods.

Monet Parham a Californian mother of 2 has filed a suit that claims McDonald’s advertising violates Californian consumer protection laws. The problem for McDonald’s is that the Happy Meal has been a hit for the fast food chain and turned them into the world’s largest toy distributors.

Miss Parham, who her filed suit against McDonald’s last December, is being represented by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nutrition advocacy group.

McDonald’s continues to come under fire from parents, law makers and public health officials who are fighting rising childhood obesity rates. Their issue is the weak anti-obesity efforts fast food operators are making as they are self-regulated and it’s not in their interest.

The problem for McDonald’s is that if this law suit proceeds it can open up the flood gate for similar claims by other parents and public health officials.

The problem for the whole fast food industry is that consumers are changing eating patterns and not all operators are keeping up with the jones’s.