McDonald’s recalls millions of Happy Meals fitness bands

Step-iT Activity Wristbands are out of step with health and safety.

A few days ago, McDonald’s began offering a free fitness tracker in their Happy Meal boxes to get children to mull on healthy life choices as they gorged on burgers, chips and chicken nuggets.

McDonald’s United States of America and Canada announced on August 23, 2016, they are working with the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada respectively on a voluntary recall of the STEP-iT Activity Bands distributed in Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals after receiving customer reports of skin irritations and burns from wearing the band. However, McDonald’s toy-distribution focus, along with the marketing of food of questionable nutritional value, has made many uncomfortable over the years.

“While we do not yet know what may be causing these incidents, we believe it is appropriate to recall these wristbands from consumers in an abundance of caution”, the notice reads.

Saultonline spoke with McDonalds Manager, Jessica Mousseau, Great Northern Road location.

The fast food chain already had stopped distributing the Step-It Activity Bands, which were available to customers in the United States and Canada from August 9 to August 17. Anyone returning the wristband will be able to exchange it for another Happy Meal toy and a bag of apple slices or a yoghurt tube. The Step-It Fitness plastic wristbands, in blue, green, purple, orange and red, look like watches and are supposed to track physical activity. Both styles of activity wristbands have a square face with the words “STEP-iT” printed on them and a button to depress and activate the wristband. Instead, the toys have gotten company officials racing to issue a recall after the devices were found to burn and irritate kids’ skin.

According to the CPSC, McDonald’s had roughly 29 million Step-It devices in the US and 3.6 million units in Canada.

There’s reports of skin irritation and burns from over 70 people, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).