Wendy's Removes Sodas From Kids' Meal Menu — But Keeps Frosties

Kids' meals just got marginally healthier at Wendy's: USA Today reports the fast-food chain will no longer offer soda on its kids' meals menu board, replacing the sugar-filled colas with milk, chocolate milk, apple juice, or mini bottles of water. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group that works to "transform the American diet," announced the change today, praising the chain's "responsible step forward" that will "improve children's health."

In an email statement to USA Today, a Wendy's spokesperson re-iterated that the chain's "default" drink option for kids' meals had never been soda in the first place: "When ordering a kids' meal, the customer is asked what beverage they prefer," a spokesperson said. "The change is the kids' meal beverage options which are shown on our menu boards." Advocacy groups hope that by removing the visual reminder that soda is an option, fewer kids will demand the drink, and fewer parents will thus cave in and order it.

As part of its announcement, the Center for Science in the Public Interest also publicly called out other chains, like Burger King and IHOP, for still hawking soda to children. (McDonald's announced back in 2013 that it would drop soda from its book-slinging kids' meals, and will roll out that menu change later this year.) CSPI also suggested that Wendy's consider dropping its beloved frozen Frosty off the kids' menu: CSPI and FLOTUS, don't hold your breath on that one.