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McDonald’s recalls kids’ meal fitness trackersMcDonald’s recalls kids’ meal fitness trackers

Wristbands linked to skin irritations, blisters

Ron Ruggless, Senior Editor

August 24, 2016

1 Min Read
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McDonald’s Corp. this week recalled about 33 million fitness tracker wristbands distributed in kids’ meals after reports of skin irritations and blisters.

Last week, the Oak Brook, Ill.-based burger chain stopped distributing the “Step-iT” wristbands after reports of the irritations and burns. This week, the operator issued a voluntary recall for 29 million wristbands distributed at U.S. units and 3.6 million wristbands distributed at Canadian restaurants.

The company received more than 70 reports of incidents with the wristband, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement. Those included seven reports of blisters.

“Take the wristbands away from children immediately and return them to any McDonald’s restaurant for a replacement toy and either a yogurt tube or a bag of apple slices,” the company said on its website.

The company said it was voluntarily recalling the Step-iT Activity Wristbands in both the activity counter and light-up band versions.

McDonald’s added that it had evaluated the safety of the wristbands through a third-party laboratory and they were determined to be safe. 

“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 company said.

The wristbands were distributed from Aug. 9 through Aug. 17 in Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals in both the United States and Canada.

Further information on the recall is available at the website or by calling McDonald’s at (800) 244-6227 between 7a.m. CDT and 7 p.m. CDT.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected]
Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless

About the Author

Ron Ruggless

Senior Editor, Nation’s Restaurant News / Restaurant Hospitality

Ron Ruggless serves as a senior editor for Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN.com) and Restaurant Hospitality (Restaurant-Hospitality.com) online and print platforms. He joined NRN in 1992 after working 10 years in various roles at the Dallas Times Herald newspaper, including restaurant critic, assistant business editor, food editor and lifestyle editor. He also edited several printings of the Zagat Dining Guide for Dallas-Fort Worth, and his articles and photographs have appeared in Food & Wine, Food Network and Self magazines. 

Ron Ruggless’ areas of expertise include foodservice mergers, acquisitions, operations, supply chain, research and development and marketing. 

Ron Ruggless is a frequent moderator and panelist at industry events ranging from the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators (MUFSO) conference to RestaurantSpaces, the Council of Hospitality and Restaurant Trainers, the National Restaurant Association’s Marketing Executives Group, local restaurant associations and the Horeca Professional Expo in Madrid, Spain.

Ron Ruggless’ experience:

Regional and Senior Editor, Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality (1992 to present)

Features Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1989-1991)

Restaurant Critic and Food Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1987-1988)

Editing Roles – Dallas Times Herald (1982-1987)

Editing Roles – Charlotte (N.C.) Observer (1980-1982)

Editing Roles – Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald (1978-1980)

Email: [email protected]

Social media:

Twitter@RonRuggless

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ronruggless

Instagram: @RonRuggless

TikTok: @RonRuggless

 

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