A national study of children's menus at some of the nation's leading restaurants and fast-food outlets found many of the meals directed at youngsters greatly exceed recommended levels.
In the ongoing battle against childhood obesity and related diseases, the Center for Science in the Public Interest surveyed 13 popular restaurants with children's offerings on their menus. It found that 93 percent of 1,474 possible choices were much higher than the 430 calories considered healthy in a single meal for 4- to 8-year-olds.
That is about one-third of the 1,300 daily calories recommended by the Institute of Medicine for moderately active children in that age group.
Although there are healthy choices available, the report said "parents have to navigate a minefield of calories, fat and salt to find them."
Besides calories, the report said many of the offerings exceeded recommended levels of sodium and saturated and trans fats.
The report follows other warnings and government actions targeting childhood obesity.
The Federal Trade Commission reported last week that food companies spent $1.6 billion advertising their products to children in 2006. Producers of carbonated sodas led the way followed by fast-food restaurants and makers of breakfast cereals.
Governments are stepping in. California recently banned the use of trans fats, which can lower levels of good cholesterol. Los Angeles has put a moratorium on fast-food restaurants in one section of the city where obesity rates are high, although such narrow action unreasonably targets one segment of society.
Other regulations have been proposed to require more healthy choices along with nutritional information on menus. The industry says it is unfair to blame them for the obesity problem, while many restaurants have already responded by providing healthier selections.
The problem of obesity, though, will not be solved by government overregulation. It is a matter of behavior and other lifestyle choices learned from early ages at home, school and in society in general. And when it comes to what those 4- and 8-year-old children eat, well, that is up to the parents.