Fast foods: most children's menus are more and more caloric

They allow you to go quickly and generally make children happy.

But fast foods are not really ideal for health.

Worse, it would seem that the menus intended for the youngest have evolved unfavorably in recent years.

In any case, this is the observation drawn up by the National Association of Consumers and Users CLCV, which studied the children's menus offered by seven fast-food brands: McDonald's, Burger King, Quick, KFC, Subway, Brioche Dorée and O 'Tacos.

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According to results published on Monday, most of them offer more calorie-dense meals than in 2010. "Gourmet" children's or teenagers' menus, with soda and fries in addition to the burger or sandwich, "provide excessive amounts of calories , fat, salt and sugar", the association immediately informed.

The light version, little chosen by the youngest

For example, the "Happy Meal" from the restaurant at M Jaune represents 54% of the calorie intake for a child aged 4 to 7, compared with 47% in 2010. The "Magic Box" from direct competitor Quick provides 67% of the daily calories of a child in the same age group compared to 51% in 2010. KFC's "P'tit bucket" represents 60% of caloric intake for 4 to 7 year olds compared to 45% for its 2010 equivalent ("Body 3-8 year ").

According to the findings of the consumer association CLCV, in the 8-11 age group, certain menus such as those at McDonald's and KFC have remained stable, but calorie intake has increased for the Quick menu and that of Golden brioche.

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On average, the "gourmet" versions intended for the youngest represent 54% of the daily caloric needs for a 5-year-old child, 46% for a 9-year-old child.

Large-format menus, mainly consumed by adolescents, represent 59% of their daily caloric needs.

"This is significantly more than the 34% generally covered by a lunch", says the association.

On the other hand, the "light" menus, which consist of a burger or a sandwich depending on the brand, a drink with little sugar (water, flavored water), a portion of fruit and a portion vegetables, "provide on average 18% of daily caloric intake", noted the association.

Only downside: they are very few chosen.