The nascent taste bud's loss is now the juvenile waistline's gain. So to speak. See, the noted fast food chain announced today that the McDonald's Happy Meal will receive a healthy makeover. Accused of aiding childhood obesity, the new Happy Meals will boast apple slices, reduced portion of french fries (boo!) and a wider selection of small drinks, including fat-free chocolate milk and 1% low-fat white milk to go along with options of fruit juice, soda, and delicious water.

“By adding fruit in every Happy Meal, McDonald’s hopes to address a challenge children face in meeting the recommended daily consumption of produce,” chillingly declares the corporation’s statement.

According to CNN, "[t]he changes are scheduled to begin September with the hopes that all 14,000 restaurants will transition to the new Happy Meals by the first quarter of 2012."

In an added horrific move, according to the New York Times, "the company said Tuesday it would no longer offer the caramel dipping sauce it previously served with apples." Which? Heresy.

This unprecedented move by McDonald's was sparked by First Lady Michelle Obama "who has spearheaded a public health campaign to prevent childhood obesity commended McDonald's for making progress today by providing more fruit and reducing the calories in its Happy Meals."

If you recall, San Francisco banned kids toys in packaged meals (e.g., the Happy Meal) that fail to comply with certain health standards. As SF Appeal reported: "The law, which was approved by the Board of Supervisors 8-3 last month and overcame a veto by Mayor Gavin Newsom, will require that meals with toys and other items marketed to children, such as the Happy Meal, contain fruits and vegetables, not exceed 600 calories, and not include drinks with excessive fat or sugar."

Which is to say, if the kids meals had enough veggies or fruit, they could have toys.

Introduced in 1979, the Happy Meal was conceived by Kansas City-based Bob Bernstein, founder and CEO of Bernstein-Rein Advertising, "an agency that has counted McDonald’s as a key client since 1967."