Fries with that? Now you'll need parents' permission as Michelle Obama unveils PG-rated meals at Olive Garden and Red Lobster

By Rachel Quigley
Last updated at 10:58 PM on 15th September 2011

Not content with going after the nation's children, its grocery stores, the food pyramid and McDonalds, Michelle Obama is now going after the country's most beloved restaurant chains

Olive Garden, Red Lobster and its sister restaurants have pledged to serve healthier meals by cutting calories and sodium in its meals by 20 per cent over a decade.

And if the little ones desire some French fries they will only be able to do so with adult supervision.

Among promised changes for children, Darden Restaurants Inc said a fruit or vegetable side and low-fat milk will become standard with kids' meals unless a substitution is requested.

The First Lady called it a 'breakthrough moment' for the industry.
'With this new commitment, Darden is doing what no restaurant company has done before,' she said as she joined executives of Orlando, Florida-based Darden for the announcement at an Olive Garden restaurant in Maryland, just outside Washington.

'This is a breakthrough moment in the restaurant industry. I believe the changes that Darden will make could impact the health and well-being of an entire generation of young people,' added Mrs Obama, who is leading an effort to reduce U.S. childhood obesity rates.

The kids' menu changes are scheduled to take effect next July at Darden's 1,900 restaurants in 49 states.

Its other brands are LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52. The Capital Grille and Seasons 52 do not have children's menus.

'We want to ensure that those who dine with us find the choices that they desire,' said Clarence Otis Jr, Darden's chief executive officer.

In the past, Olive Garden has featured well-known specials such as endless soup, salad and breadsticks as well as endless pasta bowls, meaning adults and children were able to indulge in meals consisting of thousands of calories if they so wished.

In January, Mrs Obama stood with Wal-Mart, the nation's largest grocer, as it pledged to reformulate thousands of products it sells to make them healthier and to push suppliers to do the same.

This summer, the first lady applauded as Wal-Mart, Walgreens drug stores and several regional grocers committed to help eliminate 'food deserts' by opening or expanding in rural and urban areas without easy access to healthy foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables.

Darden Restaurant Inc's promise is part of a trend by the restaurant industry to serve healthier food.

Since the beginning of the year, McDonald's, Burger King, Chili's, IHOP, Friendly's and more than a dozen other large and small chains have said they will begin replacing the French fries in children's meals with fruit and removing enticing pictures of less healthy items from their menus.

Diners are becoming more health-conscious and are asking for improvements, such as for their meals to be cooked without butter or with less salt or to be prepared any way but fried.

Then there's Mrs Obama's campaign to bring down childhood obesity rates with her 'Let's Move' campaign.

Mrs Obama has said her goal is to help today's youngsters become adults at a healthy weight by eating better and getting more exercise.

In a speech to the National Restaurant Association one year ago this month, the first lady asked members to 'actively promote healthy foods and healthy habits to our kids'.

Consumers, she said, spend half their food dollars on meals outside the home and eat one in three meals at a restaurant. She suggested that they begin serving low-fat milk and healthy sides like apple slices or carrots and make French fries available only upon request.

White House domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes said Darden's announcement amounts to a 'full-throated endorsement' of the types of changes Mrs Obama has asked the nation's restaurant owners and operators to make.

In a National Restaurant Association survey of chefs, two-thirds of those working in the kitchens of family dining, fine dining and fast-food restaurants said their customers were ordering healthier items and paying more attention to nutritional content than they did two years ago.

Similarly, chefs ranked healthful children's meals as the fourth-hottest restaurant trend, behind locally grown and sustainable foods.

The government soon will begin requiring restaurants with 20 or more locations, along with bakeries, grocery stores, convenience stores and coffee chains, to include clear calorie counts on their menus.

Mrs Obama participation in Thursday's announcement was her latest appearance with retailers and others in support of her anti-obesity campaign.