A new study shows -- predictably -- that kids meals are depressingly high in calories. Most are way more than a third of a child's recommended daily intake. You feed those to kids, and they'll get fat. And since eating out now accounts for a hefty portion of the average child's caloric intake, this isn't exactly a theoretical problem. Which is why I'm less interested in attempts to ban fast food restaurants from communities (a la South Los Angeles) and more interested in attempts to force them to print caloric and fat data right next to every entry on their menus (a la New York). Many parents probably think that ordering their children's dinner off the kids' menu assures appropriate portions: Being faced with the reality that that's untrue may actually change some behaviors. And as those behaviors change, the restaurants will put a bit of energy into creating options that are more appealing to calorie conscious parents. And then, when parents are faced with the option of a clearly unhealthy meal or a clearly healthy one, quite a few are likely to go the responsible route. A similar effect was visible when the government demanded the inclusion of trans fats data on nutrition labels: Sales of items with trans fats plummeted, and producers reformulated recipes to excise the offending ingredient. Sometimes, markets really do work. You just have to give people the proper information.
