Healthier Happy Meals? Three in Four Parents Say They’d Switch Restaurants for This New, Balanced Protein Option

Kids’ meals are one of the most iconic, emotionally resonant, and commercially powerful categories in fast food. Yet a new report from Food System Innovations highlights a missed opportunity for quick-service (QSR) and fast-casual dining: Balanced Proteins. Balanced Proteins, meat products made with at least 30% plant-based ingredients, offer a win-win for parents and operators alike. This new research reveals how incorporating these products can add healthier options to the kids’ menu and contribute to corporate climate commitments while maintaining the nostalgia and taste of the kids’ meal.

In May 2025, Food System Innovations, in conjunction with NECTAR, a non-profit initiative dedicated to accelerating the protein transition with taste, announced that Balanced Proteins were breaking through the taste barrier, with half of products tested meeting or surpassing consumer taste expectations across burgers and chicken nuggets alike. This sensory data proved how some of the most iconic meat offerings for QSR menus - burgers and chicken nuggets - could improve on taste while offering better nutrient profiles.

The study also finds that adding Balanced Proteins to the menu would be a win-win for parents and operators alike. According to Food System Innovations’ latest report, 63% of parents already buy their children food from QSR or fast-casual restaurants at least weekly. Three in four parents say they would consider switching to restaurants offering Balanced Proteins in kids’ meals, and 57% say they would dine out more often if these options were available.

“Parents are looking for kids’ meals that are both fun and nutritious—and restaurants are looking for ways to boost traffic and loyalty,” said Tim Dale, Category Innovation Director at Food System Innovations. “Balanced Proteins can deliver on both, giving families better options while helping restaurants meet their business and sustainability goals.”

A Stalled but Valuable Menu Category: The History of the Happy Meal
Since they first made popular in the 1970s, kids’ meals have been powerful drivers of traffic and loyalty for quick-service restaurants (e.g., McDonald’s Happy Meal sold over one billion Happy Meals a year). But, in recent years, the category has seen little innovation. Today, 72% of kids’ meals at the top 50 chains still fail to meet expert nutrition standards despite nearly 3 in 5 parents calling for healthier options (58%).

Food System Innovations’ research shows how Balanced Proteins can seamlessly bridge evolving parents expectations and refresh the value of this menu segment:

• 80% find the concept of Balanced Proteins appealing in fast food
• 74% would switch to a restaurant that served Balanced Protein options for kids
• 82% cite child taste preference as a top driver in food purchase decisions
• 87% of parents would regularly buy Balanced Proteins if their child liked the product

To read the full report and explore how Balanced Proteins can improve kids’ meals, visit: balancedprotein.org/research-insights

About Food System Innovations
Food System Innovations (FSI) is a philanthropic impact platform investing in a humane and sustainable future of food. As an impact platform, FSI is a strategic hub that accelerates change by combining multiple tools and approaches, acting as both a funder and operator, directly implementing programs while empowering others through grants, investments, and capacity building. Learn more at www.fsi.org.

Contact Information

Rachel Stoczko

Communications

PR for Food System Innovations

Contact via E-mail