Restaurant kids' meals

Wendy's sign

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Eating out has nutrition and health consequences for adults, but children are especially vulnerable. When children eat out, they typically consume more calories, added sugars, and sugary drinks. Kids also eat fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains when they eat out than when they eat at home.

These meals not only have immediate health consequences, but also they can impact food preferences and social norms that can effect health long into adulthood.

Efforts to improve restaurant kids' meals

The national movement to improve restaurant kids' meals is growing. Communities and corporations have recognized the need for healthier options on the kids' menu. These improvements have been made through multiple avenues.

State and local legislation

Communities across the United States have adopted polices that seek to improve the nutritional quality of children's meals. The first kids' meal policy was passed in 2010 in Santa Clara County, California and set nutrition standards for meals that were sold with toys. Since then, nearly two dozen other states and localities have adopted kids' meal policies, including toy bills, healthy default beverages, and full meal nutrition standards. See a map of the states and localities that have passed kids' meals policies.

Corporate kids' meal commitments

Restaurants are taking action to improve kids' meals by adopting company-wide standards for children's meals. These policies vary from restaurant to restaurant. Some chains have removed sugary drinks from their kids' menu, while others have gone a step further and have set nutrition standards for the entire kids' menu.

The real life impact

These efforts to improve restaurant kids' meals are paying off.

  • The percentage of top 50 restaurant chains offering sugary drinks on their kids' menu has dropped from 93% in 2008, to 61% in 2019.
  • In 2020, the Kids LiveWell program was strengthened and now requires participating restaurants to have healthy default beverages and two meals and two side dishes that meet nutrition standards (up from one each) on their kids' menu.
  • In the past year, four localities and one state have passed kids' meal legislation

However, more work can be done to improve restaurant kids' meals. The majority of top 50 restaurants still offer sugary drinks on their kids' menus, and unhealthy foods like fried chicken, burgers, and fried potatoes dominate the menus.

Why healthy kids' meals?

Healthy restaurant kids’ meals can support caregivers’ efforts to feed their children well. These resources make the case.

Flat lay of fast food burgers and fried foods with soda

Ensuring healthy restaurant kids’ meals

Between 2015 and 2018, children ages 2-11 years old consumed an average of 11.4% of their daily calories from fast food alone, not accounting for food from other types of restaurants. A 2021 national survey found that one in six parents say their child eats fast food at least twice a week.

View fact sheet here

Types of kids' meal legislation

There are multiple ways advocates can improve restaurant kids' meals at the state and local level.

Sara Ribakove's (she/her) work is focused on creating a more sustainable, healthier, and equitable food system. Sara oversees CSPI’s Food and Environment initiative focused on policy and advocacy efforts that support sustainable food production and consumption patterns. She also oversees CSPI's work on improving the nutritional quality of food for children in restaurants. Prior to joining CSPI, Sara worked for the Food Recovery Network, a non-profit working to reduce hunger and food waste. She received her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Georgetown University, focused on environmentally sustainable business practices and non-market strategy. She earned her B.A. in Public Health from the University of Rochester.

Headshot of Sara Ribakove

Sara Ribakove, MBA

Campaign Manager, Food and Environment

sribakove@cspi.org