MIAMI Burger King Corp. said Wednesday it would limit the salt content within all Kids Meals advertised to children under 12 amid growing attention from health regulators and restaurants surrounding the sodium content in food.
The nation's No. 2 burger chain said meals marketed to younger children would contain no more than 600 milligrams of sodium. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that children over the age 4 should consume less than 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day.
Sodium has become a growing issue for the restaurant industry as lawmakers and consumer groups express concern over the salt content in restaurant meals and prepared foods. In New York City, restaurant representatives met recently with Mayor Michael Bloomberg to discuss the issue. A spokeswoman said the city’s health department was “exploring various options” to address the amount of sodium in restaurant fare.
New York was one of the first cities to enact menu-labeling regulations for local branches of chain restaurants, a measure that has inspired similar rules in other municipalities.
Burger King’s move to limit sodium in its Kids Meals is the latest move for the chain in its ongoing initiative to provide more healthful menu options for children. That effort has included the introduction of a new Kids Meal consisting of macaroni and cheese, Apple Fries with caramel dipping sauce and low-fat milk in a combo that contains a total of 340 calories and 505 milligrams of sodium. Burger King said Wednesday that more healthful kids meal options are in development and will debut next summer.
“We have made a strong, company-wide commitment to help improve childhood nutrition,” said John W. Chidsey, the company's chairman and chief executive. “We will continue to dedicate resources to developing new Kids Meals that meet our stringent nutritional criteria, while also offering the taste and value that our customers expect from Burger King restaurants.”
In another component of its BK Positive Steps initiative, Burger King said it has developed a list of more than 350 meal combinations for adults that contain no more than 650 calories each. The list is available online at www.bk.com/positivesteps. Tray liners that feature examples of more healthful will be rolled out nationwide, Burger King also noted.
Burger King has nearly 12,000 units in 69 countries, 7,500 of which are located in the United States and Canada.