Following the lead of other large fast-food chains like McDonald's and Wendy's, Dairy Queen has agreed to remove sodas from its listing of kids’ meals on menu boards and replace them with milk and water. According to a letter addressed to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), who had urged Dairy Queen to take such action, Dairy Queen's Franchise Advisory Council voted unanimously to remove soft drinks from kids’ menu. The change will go into effect on Sept. 1, 2015 when new menu board panels arrive at franchise locations. “Dairy Queen deserves credit for being responsive to the concerns of parents, who increasingly want to be able to order off the kids’ menu without having to say ‘no’ to soda,” said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan in ...
Big name fast-food restaurants like Wendy's, Dairy Queen, and Burger King are taking sodas off their kids' menu and replacing them with healthier default drinks. But folks are wondering. Will kids eat and drink the new healthy items or still long for fries and soda? One restaurant chain in Virginia and Maryland is finding that kids don't miss unhealthy menu items and are instead digging-in to the restaurant's revamped, healthier kids' menu. Silver Diner fast-casual restaurants completely overhauled their kids' menu in 2012. They swapped greasy burgers and fries for healthy and unique options, like teriyaki salmon and quinoa pancakes. While they still serve some classic kid favorites like grilled cheeses and chicken tenders, the chain took fries and sodas off the kids' menu ...
Burger King has joined fellow fast-food restaurants McDonald's and Wendy's in ensuring kids' have healthy drink options. Burger King has agreed to remove sugary soda from its kids' meals and menus. Additionally, the company will not market soda as part of its kids’ meals at all. All the changes have been made at headquarters, and individual franchises are in the process of making the switch. Burger King made the change, "as part of our ongoing effort to offer our guests options that match lifestyle needs," said Alex Macedo, president of Burger King North America, in an e-mailed statement to USA TODAY. Instead of soft drinks, the Burger King menu for kids will offer fat-free milk, 100% apple juice and low-fat chocolate milk. Health advocacy groups like CSPI and Mom'sRising ...
Schools across the country are revamping their lunch menus to better reflect the updated national nutrition standards. Some schools are going above and beyond the standards and making huge strides to serve healthy, delicious food to students. In Blount County, Tennessee, schools are experimenting with growing their own fresh produce for school lunch. Agriculture teacher Mike Whitehead’s classes piloted the program last year at William Blount High School and William Blount Ninth Grade Academy. Since the program started, the cafeteria has gradually increased its produce orders to meet student demand, said manager Yvonne Buchanan in a news article. Currently, students grow fresh produce for six cafeterias: Mary Blount Elementary School, Friendsville Elementary School, Union Grove ...
A new KaBOOM! playground has just arrived to Marshall Meadows, an affordable housing community in San Antonio, Texas. With the help of 200 volunteers from Foresters, The Housing Community Services, Inc. and a team from KaBOOM!, kids living in and near Marshall Meadows now have a new place to play. Plans for the project started with a design day in June 2014, according to a news release. As part of the playground design process, children were asked to draw their dream playground. Designers used their drawings as inspiration for the new playscape. The playground is expected to serve more 25,000 children. "A community's well-being starts with a child's well-being," said Tony Garcia, president and CEO, of Foresters. "Playgrounds are important to communities, providing an open ...
