Disney's new policy 'wipes off' the plate of Junk Food

The Walt Disney Company, one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world, have decided to cut down fats and calories in foods bearing the faces of Mickey Mouse and other characters, to provide healthier meals to kids.

From this month, the kid’s meal served at Disney parks and resorts will follow a new and healthy trend. Soft drinks will be replaced with low-fat milk, juice or water and French fries will be replaced with apple sauce or carrots.

Disney also said that it has penciled out new guidelines for the foods using its product licenses and expects them to adhere to the new policy by the end of 2008.

The decade long deal between Disney and McDonald’s, wherein Disney promoted its films with McDonald's Happy Meals, will also come to an end with the starting of the new move.

Health officials say American children are facing an epidemic of obesity. The rising number of overweight children and adolescents in the U.S. has prompted various food companies to take necessary steps in order to get the situation under control. The companies are required to change the way it markets sugary and fat-laden foods to kids.

"You just absolutely have to be pure as freshly fallen snow on this stuff these days," said Bob Goldin, executive vice president at food industry research firm Technomic Inc.

Disney’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Staggs said that there will be a modest impact on the supply cost due to the healthier fare.

"We think it's the right thing to do for our business," Staggs said. "We became convinced that more and more parents are looking for more choice as they seek to design an overall healthy diet for their kids."

Founded on October 16, 1923 by brother’s Walt and Roy Disney as a small animation studio, today Disney is one of the largest Hollywood studios and also owns eleven theme parks, two water parks and several television networks, including the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).

Besides Disney, there are other big companies which are taking necessary steps to curb obesity. McDonald’s has added sliced apples and entree-sized salads to its menu and scrapped super sized portions of French fries and soft drinks.

Kraft, PepsiCo Inc. unit Frito Lay has removed fat from their products and are targetting at health conscious consumers. It has also stopped advertising products like Oreo cookies and Kool-Aid beverages to children younger than 12.

The new guidelines set by Disney have not permitted the sugar to be more than 10% of calories for main and side dishes and 25% of calories for snacks. Total fat will not exceed 30% of calories for main and side dishes and 35% for snacks.

"Disney will be providing healthier options for families that seek them, whether at our Parks or through our broad array of licensed foods," president and chief executive Robert Iger said.

"The Disney brand and characters are in a unique position to market food that kids will want and parents will feel good about giving them."

Artery-clogging trans fats from the food served at its theme parks will also be eliminated by the end of 2007.

Sweets like birthday cakes and candy’s will be continued to be licensed by Disney, but will limit those items to 15% of its licensed portfolio by 2010.

Disney parks will also continue to sell soft drinks and fries to parents at the same cost as before, but urged that even the parents these days are more concerned about their health.

Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University, said the announcement was "a terrific first step."

"Maybe if enough companies take small actions like these, the steps in total will add up to something that works to make it easier for people to eat better," Nestle said.

The group added it planned to extend the healthy-eating drive "internationally" in coming years.