The Best and Worst Restaurants for Healthy Kids’ Meals

Apple slices do not a healthy kids’ meal make, especially if they come with fried chicken and a soda. In an analysis of children’s meals at 50 large chain restaurants, the Center for Science in the Public Interest found that 97 percent of the possible kids’ meal combos failed to meet its nutrition standards for children’s meals; 19 of those chains offer no kids’ options that pass muster. The National Restaurant Association offers different standards for what makes a kids’ meal “healthy”; by its guidelines, 91 percent of the options failed. Nine restaurants, including McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr., and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, had zero options that met either standard.

“We’ve seen an increase in healthier options on adult menus,” says Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at CSPI and a nutritionist. “They get that Americans are more interested in nutrition than ever before; they just aren’t making significant changes to the kids menu yet.” Many meals come with soda or deep fried foods. The most common healthy kids’ entree was grilled chicken, she says, so “if your kid doesn’t like grilled chicken breast with apples, you’re out of luck.”