Taco Bell Drops Kids' Meals Off Menu For Branding Reasons

The Mexican-themed fast-food chain Taco Bell plans to stop selling kids' meals in January 2014. 

According to USA Today, Taco Bell is the first national chain to drop its kiddie meals completely. Though there has always been controversy involving fast food being unhealthy for children, the company has different reasons for their menu change. Taco Bell chief executive Greg Creed said the decision came down to the company focusing on their main audience of people in their late teens to mid 20's.

"This is about positioning the brand for Millennials," Creed told USA Today. "The future of Taco Bell is not about kids meals." The chief executive also added, "It's fairly inconsistent for an edgy, twenty something brand to offer kids meals."

Along with axe to the kids meals, comes the axe to the toys that accompany them. 

Though the move has nothing to do with nutrition, Taco Bell is still getting praise for hopefully helping with childhood obesity. 

"We find this move encouraging, even if it was not done out of interest for children's nutrition," Hemi Weingarten of Fooducate.com wrote Tuesday July 23 in a blog entry. "This is because marketing to children is one of the critical factors in childhood obesity. Marketers have known for years that brand loyalty should be forged as early as possible in a consumer's life." 

Compared to rival McDonald's, Taco Bell is significantly less dependent on kids meals. According to Advertisting Age, only about 0.5% of Taco Bell's sales come from them, while Mickey D's Happy Meals provide 10% of sales.