Dairy Queen, the fast-food chain owned by Coca-Cola Co.’s largest shareholder, Warren Buffett, is taking soda off the kids menu.
Dairy Queen’s move will follow chains like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and Chick-fil-A, according to a statement on Thursday from the Washington-based Centre for Science in the Public Interest. While children can still have a soda with a kids meal, the chains are listing only drinks such as bottled water and milk on menus.
“Dairy Queen deserves credit for being responsive to the concerns of parents, who increasingly want to be able to order off the kids’ menu without having to say ‘no’ to soda,” said Margo G. Wootan, CSPI’s nutrition policy director.
The changes at Dairy Queen begin Sept. 1.
“We share CSPI’s concern regarding children’s nutrition,” said Dean Peters, a spokesman for Dairy Queen. “It is important to all of us in the Dairy Queen system which is why we’ve been - - for some time now -- working toward offering healthier options on our menu.”
Buffett, the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., has famously defended soft-drink makers like Coca-Cola, saying he drinks sugary Cherry Coke all the time. Ice cream and other salty foods are a staples of his diet too, the investor has said.
Buffett, 84, told Fortune magazine earlier this year that he drinks at least five Cokes a day. “I eat like a 6-year-old,” he said.
Bloomberg News, edited by ESM
