Burger King knows you don’t want your kids to be fat, but it does want your money. Introducing: “Apple Fries!”

They’re not what you think. “Apple Fries,” a 35 calorie alternative to french fries, are raw apples cut to look like thick fries, then washed with lemon to keep them from turning brown.

They’re part of BK’s new healthier kids menu, according to Business Week:

Burger King Holdings Inc., the world’s second largest hamburger chain, said it has set nutritional guidelines to follow when targeting children under 12 in advertising, including limiting ads to Kids Meals that contain no more than 560 calories, less than 30 percent of calories from fat and no more than 10 percent of calories from added sugars.

In that vein, Burger King is building a Kids Meal that will contain the flame-broiled Tenders, organic unsweetened applesauce and low-fat milk, for a total of 305 calories and 8.5 grams of fat. It will be available in restaurants sometime in 2008, the company said.

The fast-food chain is also developing what it calls BK Fresh Apple Fries. The red apples are cut to resemble french fries and are served in the same containers as fries, but they are not fried and are served skinless and cold.

“We not only want to better inform parents and kids about these new menu options but also to demonstrate through product innovation that better-for-you foods can be fun and taste good,” said John Chidsey, Burger King’s chief executive.

We are continually baffled by the lengths people have to go to to get their kids to eat apples, a food we liked as a kid. We do prefer green apples, however.

Burger King adding healthier menu items [BusinessWeek]
(Photo:Maulliegh)

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