Burger King is following McDonald and Wendy’s lead.
The popular fast food chain has dropped sugary soft drinks from its children’s meals menu in an effort to make their selection a bit healthier, according to TIME.
In a statement to USA Today, Burger King said it removed fountain drinks from kids’ menus last month “as a part of our ongoing effort to offer our guests options that match lifestyle needs.”
Although children will still have the option to drink carbonated and sugary drinks, they’ll be seeing the display of milk or apple juice before going straight for the soda option.
“If you take a hamburger, fries and soda compared with a hamburger with a side of fruit and a water — the first one is junk, the second one is better,’ stated Margo Wootan, the nutrition policy director of the Center for Science in Public Interest.
She added, “Soda is the No 1 source of calories in children’s diets and offering it in a kids’ meal is the biggest single problem in that meal.”
Burger King has not attributed the recent decision to keep soda off the menu to the efforts of healthy food campaigners, according to The Guardian.
Before Burger King’s recent menu adjustment, McDonald reportedly took the soda option out of its kids’ “Happy Meals” combinations in 2013.
“In my 20 years of working here, I’m not sure if any companies have ever publicly said we were responsible for their change in policy or practice,” stated Wootan.
Obesity continues to be a problem among American’s youth as the percentage of children ages 6 to 11 years in the U.S. who are obese reportedly increased from 7 percent in 1980 to almost 18 percent in 2012.
The health train won’t stop at Burger King.
“Next up, Applebee’s,” stated Wootan.
