Cracker Jack and other 'predatory' treats

When I was a kid, I looked forward to getting a toy or other novelty item in a box of Cracker Jack, the crunchy candy-covered popcorn treat.

Little did I know that I was a victim of a “predatory practice that undermines parents, causes rifts in families and harms kids' health.”

At least that is what was happening to me according to a lawsuit brought against McDonald's filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nutrition advocacy group.

A judge recently dismissed the suit which sought to keep the huge hamburger chain from putting toys in its Happy Meals. The CSPI group says the toys encourage children to eat unhealthy food and wanted the courts to force McDonald's to stop the practice.

Here's an inside secret for the nutrition group: I ate the Cracker Jack treat because I liked it, not because it had a toy in it. I bet that is also true for today's kids and Happy Meals.