Law Curbs McDonald's Happy Meal Toys (Lisa Baertlein)

Nov. 3, 2010 -- LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- San Francisco has become the first major U.S. city to pass a law that cracks down on the popular practice of giving away free toys with unhealthy restaurant meals for children.

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors passed the law Tuesday on a veto-proof 8-to-3 vote. It takes effect Dec. 1, 2011.

The law, like an ordinance passed earlier this year in nearby Santa Clara County, would require that restaurant kids' meals meet certain nutritional standards before they could be sold with toys.

Opponents of the law include the National Restaurant Association and McDonald's Corp, which used its now wildly popular Happy Meal to pioneer the use of free toys to market directly to children.

READ MORE: Reuters