Burger King announced today it will offer healthier fast food items for children under 12 years of age. They plan on introducing flame broiled chicken tenders and apples cut to resemble thick cut french fries. This product is being called BK apple fries. The red apples are cut to resemble french fries and are served in the same containers as fries, but they are not fried and are served skinless and cold.
Burger King Holdings Inc., the world’s second largest hamburger chain, said it has set nutritional guidelines to follow when targeting children under 12 in advertising, including limiting ads to Kids Meals that contain no more than 560 calories, less than 30 percent of calories from fat and no more than 10 percent of calories from added sugars.
I hope these apples will be a hit with the younger kids. It still comes down to the parents since they’re doing the ordering and paying for their child’s meal. A serving of apple fries will have 35 calories. Compare that to 230 calories and 13 grams of fat for the small BG french fry. Smart marketing ploy on Burger King’s part. Complete article can be found here
Question for all you dog owners. Does your Veterinarian recommend vaccinating your pet for Leptospirosis? There is so much controversy surrounding this vaccine, it’s effectiveness, side effects, and notably the allergic reactions that many pets experience from it. I went round and round on this issue with my Vet. Yet yesterday I finally agreed to it with Poco’s last distemper shot. Suffice to say it was not a good day and I wish I had stuck to my guns when my gut told me don’t give it to him in lieu of his reactions to vaccines. Thankfully he’s much better today!
Technorati Tags: Burger King – BK apple fries – dogs – leptospirosis vaccine
I am against healthy food from Burger King. I want my fast food unhealthy and tasty.
Thank you for the information on Burger King, Elaine. This is definitely a huge step. I know many other fast food places have added healthy things, including apples, but to me, the best part about it is the flame broiled chicken. I haven’t heard of any other fast food places doing that. Its good to hear.
This is good news, isn’t it? I posted about it today, too. The more large corporations move in this direction, the stronger the trend will get.
Spotted your blog through the Sphere widget on CNN…great find!
- L
You are absolutely right…it’s up to the parents how large their children get!
I have not heard of that aliment Elaine…is it a puppy disease or does it hit adult dogs as well?
Sorry your message got lost…would have loved to hear from you.
Laoch – no need to worry, this is for the kids menu. The unhealthy and tasty that you like won’t change
Julie – the flame broiled chicken does sound good!
QSMama – thanks for stopping in. I will check out your site as well. When the consumer demands healthier choices only then will big corporations listen and make changes.
Mushy – Leptospirosis, a contagious disease affecting both animals and humans and spread by infection with a bacterial pathogen called Leptospira, may result in chronic liver and kidney disease and fatality in the dog. The vaccine in dogs is controversial. If you have a dog you might want to google leptospirosis .
I’ll have to look Leptospirosis up, my vet hasn’t mentioned it.
I am really glad to see fast food restaurants have some healthier choices, but now I wonder what kind of preservatives will be necessary to keep apple stick fresh with no skin.
I love that banner photo!
Micki – according to the article Burger King will use U.S. grown apples that are cut and packaged in a sterile environment and subjected to a pre-wash that contains lemon to keep them from turning brown, said Burger King spokesman Keva Silversmith. Thanks on the banner, it is a great image
I agree that the banner is great… I just wanted to say that the lemon juice would work on the apples. I used to work in a deli, and we would cut apples for fruit trays, and to keep them from turning brown, we would use lemon juice. I just have to wonder about the carmal dip, though. How much sugar is in that?
Good news about the kids,to bad they can’t do the same for the adults. That would get my attention. It is up to the parents to say no! I have no confidence in the food chains at all. There bottom line is money. If those “apple fries” don’t move they will be gone in a heart beat. If the parents educate their children to eat fruit it is a no brainer. If those kids that are French fry eaters and used to the real thing and you slip them “apple fries”? I don’t think so. Fact: Eating French fries twice a week hikes your risk of type 2 diabetes by 20 percent. This according to a Harvard University’s 85,000 women and 20-Nurses’ Health Study. Does not affect the children at this point but, will someday if the parents don’t take control and just say,”NO”!
Julie – I was taught the same things about lemon juice and apples, it does works great. About McDonalds Apple Dippers with Low Fat Caramel Dip…. 100 calories with 22 grams of carbs. Maybe that is why Burger King is offering their product differently? Just apple and no dip?
I wish everyone would ban transfats. The the rate of junk food proliferation is way beyond the Twinkies of my time. There was a study, no kidding (sorry, no link) that was done linking higher gas prices to lower rates of obeisity. Go figure that one. Read it today — NYTimes or WaPo…
Oh… No dip?? I thought I read they were having dip, too. Well that’s a good thing.
I know that I personally like the fruit snak thing at McDonalds, but I believe that is seriously loaded in sugar. Sometimes I wonder if McDonalds puts sugar on their salads. I seriously would not put it past them.
Yeah, I’m guilty like the first comment on this blog… I have days when I just want the greasy fattening artery clogging great taste of a greasy burger and fry (At least I don’t have the soda with it, I actually drink water!)……. But I was talking with my sister and husband the other day… Why is it that I can go to DQ or Burger King or Sonic and eat their burgers, and not crave it again later… BUT… I actually crave McDonalds at times… I know that they do something to their food to make people crave it. In all honesty, their food does not taste as good as those places I listed, so why don’t I crave them, but I do crave McDonalds? Makes ya wonder…. (Sorry this is off-topic, but I get on a tangent sometimes……)… Anyone else had this happen?
Also, another question that I’ve been wondering about…. The trans-fat thing… I realize that no transfat means that it isn’t the unhealthy type of fat, but this doesn’t mean we can go and eat McDonalds or KFC every day and not still get obese… Are these places using that as a gimic to make people feel safe eating more fast food? Just a thought….. Okay, I think I’m done for the night…
Yea, I want the unhealthy, fattening food too, not for my kids though. I just can’t stand seeing them eat sugar, sodas and other junk. I make sure they eat as healthy as possible, which is why they haven’t been McD’s or Burger King in quite some time. I may give them another chance but if it’s like MacDonald’s so-called “healthy menu”, they can forget it.