PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) — Over the past decade, claims have been intensifying that McDonald’s “Happy Meals” and similar children’s offerings in fast food restaurants are contributing to sky-high rates of childhood obesity.  But in San Francisco, the debate may have just moved out of the frying pan and into the fryer.

San Francisco recently ordered restaurants to stop providing free toys with children’s meals that don’t meet specific nutrition requirements. 

But McDonald’s, whose famous Happy Meals fail to qualify, has found a way around the ban.  They will still be offering toys in the meals, but with one caveat – customers must fork over an extra 10 cents.

Mike Pintek talks with Jeff Stier, senior fellow at the National Center for Public and Policy Research, about the fight over fat in kids’ meals. 

Mike asks Stier how much the toys are actually contributing to unhealthy habits among children, and whether the blame, if any, lies with the fast food chains or the family.

Listen to Mike Pintek every weekday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA!