VOA标准英语2010年-McDonald's Faces Possible Lawsuit Over

（单词翻译）

A nutrition watchdog group is threatening to sue McDonald's, the giant U.S. restaurant chain, for using toys to sell its fast-food meals to children.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest says the popular toys illegally lure¹ children into eating habits that threaten their health.

A nutrition watchdog group says McDonald's has 30 days to change its ways, or CSPI will take the fast-food giant to court.
Happy meal

Since 1979, every McDonald's "Happy Meal" for children has included an enticing² toy along with the food, from Star Wars action figures to Hello Kitty watches.

The Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest, or CSPI, notes that a 2005 report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine found that marketing³ to children makes them more likely to ask for and eat unhealthful foods.

Nearly one in five children in the United States is obese⁴, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means more kids are developing diabetes⁵ and are at higher risk of heart disease and other health problems.

CSPI Executive Director Michael Jacobson says it's wrong to tempt⁶ kids with toys.

"The very practice of dangling⁷ a toy or other premium⁸ to get kids to pester⁹ their parents to go into the restaurant and buy food, junky or nutritious¹⁰, is unethical and, we believe, illegal."

Questionable¹¹ nutrition

And the food is more often junky than nutritious, Jacobson adds. All of the 24 Happy Meal choices have more than a third of a child's recommended daily calorie intake¹².

A Happy Meal that includes a cheeseburger, French fries, and a soda¹³ contains half a day's worth of calories and saturated¹⁴ fat, along with nearly a day's worth of sodium¹⁵, and two day's worth of sugar.

CSPI is threatening to sue under consumer protection laws in several states. Lead attorney Stephen Gardner says he's confident he can face a jury and ask three questions:

"Is it unfair for McDonald's to bypass parents and market direct[ly] to little children? Is it wrong for McDonald's to trick little kids into nagging¹⁶ their parents to buy the Happy Meals? And does McDonald's practice hurt little kids? The jury would come back yes, yes, and yes."

McDonald's responds

In a written response, McDonald's spokesman William Whitman says he couldn't disagree more with CSPI.

The toy is just part of a fun, family experience, he says, and Happy Meals offer more healthful choices than ever, including low-fat milk instead of soda and apple slices instead of French fries.

The company sold nearly 120 million liters of milk in the past year, he says, and more than 100 million Happy Meals with Apple Dippers since 2008.

The statement doesn't say what McDonald's plans to do about CSPI's threatened lawsuit¹⁷, and a spokeswoman wouldn't elaborate in emails.

It's not the first time CSPI has threatened legal action against junk food makers¹⁸ -- and the strategy has worked before.

The makers of sugary breakfast cereals changed how they market to children, and the fast-food chicken dinner chain KFC stopped frying its food in artery-clogging, high-trans-fat oils after the group threatened to sue.

CSPI says McDonald's has 30 days to change its ways, or the group will go to court.