McDonald’s Happy Meals Now Include A Fitness Tracker

Though McDonald’s has a long way to go in making up for playing a massive role in the American obesity crisis, they’re on the right path. For the next month, every Happy Meal in the US and Canada will come with a “STEP-it” fitness tracker.

They’ll be offering six different wrist pedometers in all Happy Meals. The pedometers blink at different speeds, depending on a kid’s movement during the day.

“STEP-it is in line with McDonald’s general philosophy for Happy Meal toys, which is to make toys that encourage either physical or imagination-based play,” McDonald’s Canada Senior Marketing Manager, Michelle McIlmoyle, told CityNews.

As one of the main sponsors for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio (a delicious touch of irony),  McDonald’s orchestrated the release of the pedometers to tie in with the games. They also wanted to make sure the pedometers were made available during summer break when children have the most time to play and are at their most active.

Though the pedometers are a great step (no pun intended), it’s too bad that they’re only available for a month. But who knows, maybe this is a sign of further positive change to come.