LOS ANGELES – Burger King Corp, the world's second-largest hamburger chain, on Wednesday said it will limit sodium in its "Kids Meals" and that it was the first fast-food restaurant chain to take that step.
The Miami-based company said it will limit sodium to 600 milligrams or less in all of its Kids Meals advertised to children younger than 12.
"We are proud to be the first quick-service restaurant to publicly commit to limiting sodium in Kids Meals," Burger King Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Chidsey said in a statement.
Burger King's currently advertised Kids Meal is its first to meet the new criteria. It includes age-appropriate portions of nutritionally fortified Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Burger King's Fresh Apple Fries with low-fat caramel dipping sauce, and Hershey's 1 percent low-fat milk.
The meal has 340 calories and 505 milligrams of sodium. Other Kids Meal options that meet the company's new criteria are in development and will be rolled out by summer 2009.
Burger King also said it will feature information about adult meal combinations that provide 650 calories or less on tray liners at participating restaurants. That effort will begin in New York City, which has been a leader in legislating healthier restaurant food, and eventually introduced nationwide.
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