WASHINGTON – Kids may no longer be saying “yo quiero Taco Bell” after the fast-food chain announced Tuesday it would drop kids’ meals from its menus nationwide.
The move comes as way to promote healthy choices for children and refocus Taco Bell’s brand on Millennials, Taco Bell CEO Greg Creed said. Taco Bell is the first national fast-food chain to kick the kids’ meals with some locations set to see the change this month.
“Kids meals and toys simply no longer make sense for us to put resources behind,” Creed said in a news release.
The meals are a huge draw for children. The fast food industry sells more than 1.2 billion children’s meals each year, according to data from the Federal Trade Commission.
But still, Creed told USA TODAY Taco Bell could do without them as they account for half of 1 percent of the chain’s overall sales.
“It’s fairly inconsistent for an edgy, twentysomething brand to offer kids meals,” Creed told USA TODAY.
Taco Bell is among many restaurants facing scrutiny for enticing children to buy its food to get toys. In 2012, a judge dismissed a consumer advocacy group’s lawsuit against McDonald’s for “deceptive marketing” with the toys in its Happy Meals.
While kids may stop buying the meals for the toys, many critics says kids will now be forced to buy adult-sized portions and will eat more. Taco Bell says its kids’ meal menu items
