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Burger King Builds New Kids Meal With Healthier Options

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By ADRIAN SAINZ, The Associated Press

Published: September 13, 2007

MIAMI - Burger King pledged Wednesday to offer healthier fast-food items for children under 12, with plans to sell and market flame-broiled Chicken Tenders and apples cut to resemble thick-cut french fries.

Burger King Holdings Inc., the world's second-largest hamburger chain, said it has set nutritional guidelines to follow when targeting children under 12 in advertising, including limiting ads to Kids Meals that contain no more than 560 calories, less than 30 percent of calories from fat and no more than 10 percent of calories from added sugars.

Burger King is building a Kids Meal that will contain the flame-broiled Tenders, organic unsweetened applesauce and low-fat milk, for a total of 305 calories and 8.5 grams of fat. It will be available in restaurants in 2008, the company said.

The fast-food chain is also developing BK Fresh Apple Fries. The red apples are cut to resemble french fries, but they are not fried and are served skinless and cold.

'We not only want to better inform parents and kids about these new menu options but also to demonstrate through product innovation that better-for-you foods can be fun and taste good,' said John Chidsey, Burger King's chief executive.

The 2.4-ounce serving of Apple Fries will have 35 calories, the company said.

Burger King will use U.S.-grown apples that are cut and packaged in a sterile environment and subjected to a prewash that contains lemon to keep them from turning brown, said Burger King spokesman Keva Silversmith.

The Miami-based company will continue to offer its fried Chicken Tenders. The flame-broiled Tenders have 145 calories and 6 grams of fat per four-piece children's serving. A four-piece serving of fried Tenders has 170 calories and 10 fat grams.

Miriam Pappo, clinical nutrition manager at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, said the move is part of a trend to offer healthier products at restaurants.

'It's a good trend. The actual ultimate solution is still to eat less fast food,' Pappo said. 'It will only be successful if it tastes good, and it will only be successful if it fills the child up.'

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