McDonald's Fitness Band Recall Numbers in Millions

It turns out that the restaurant chain had to recall nearly 33 million fitness tracker Happy Meal toys in the U.S. and Canada because of a risk of skin irritation and burns.

A week after McDonald's announced it was pulling its recently released Step It! Activity Band toy from its Happy Meals, the vast extent of of the recall has become apparent.

The recall involves 29 million activity bands in the U.S. and 3.6 million in Canada, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported Tuesday.

McDonald's voluntarily recalled the Step It! bands after reports of 70 skin irritation incidents with the wristbands, including seven where there were blisters.

The Step It! came in two styles: an “Activity Counter” with a digital screen tracking a child's steps or other movement and a "Light-up Band" with motion-activated blinking lights.

The toys were made in China.

McDonald's had already received some media buzz around the activity trackers because they represented another example of the restaurant giant's efforts to move beyond its past reputation as a seller of unhealthy food. (Check out a recent McDonald's ad touting preservative-free Chicken McNuggets.)

Now, McDonald's is not only asking people to bring the bands back in to trade them for other toys, but they're also offering the kids a choice of a free yogurt tube or bag of apple slices.

Harnessing Sensors and Data Management

Sensors and data management are changing the game when it comes to medtech product development. Learn how to use these tools to create your next winning innovation at MD&M Minneapolis on September 22. Qmed readers get 20% off with promo code Qmed16.