Chile bans Kinder Eggs and Happy Meals amid free toy controversy

CHILE has banned Kinder eggs and McDonald’s Happy Meals, among other products, as part of a national effort to combat obesity, it emerged on Wednesday May 25.

Senator Guido Girardi, a medical doctor who introduced the new legislation, said that the move is designed to set a global example and launch “a crusade against deceiving propaganda mainly directed towards children.”

Health Ministry representative Tito Pozarro added that both products are sold with a “commercial hook” for kids, referring to the ‘free’ toys that accompany them, and contain “high levels of salt, sugar and saturated fat.”

“The ‘meal’ as it is today is not ‘happy’ from the point of view of analytical nutritionists,” he added. “If McDonald’s wishes to promote a healthier product, then we could allow it to do so.”

President Michelle Bachelet, who is herself a paediatrician, is on a mission to tackle obesity in her country, where almost 10 per cent of under-fives and 30 per cent of under-sevens are considered to be overweight.