The Disney corporation is putting limits on the amounts of calories, fat and sugar it will allow in the packaged foods it markets to children using the faces of Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters.
This coincides with the expiration of an exclusive, decade-long deal to promote Disney movies within McDonald's, which has also been attacked for the health of the products they market to children.
After announcing the new healthier food plan, Disney outlined the new guidelines for the foods it will allow to carry its logo: added sugar in Disney-branded foods can no longer exceed 10 percent of the caloric RDA for main and side dishes, and 25 percent of the caloric RDA for snacks. No more than 30 percent of calories can come from fat for the main and side dishes and snacks must have less than 35 percent of calories coming from fat.
Disney also said it will be eliminating trans fats from both the food served at its theme parks and in its licensed and promotional products by the end of 2007.
Disney CEO 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."
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