-By Kenneth Hein

Burger King Kids Meals have gotten more mature. This month, the No. 2 burger giant is introducing its new "Nutritionally Balanced Kids Meal" as part of the "BK Positive Steps Nutrition Program." The new meal as well the old favorites will be come in bags and cups made from recycled materials.

BK is making its Fresh Apple Fries with low-fat caramel dipping sauce, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Hershey's 1% low fat milk Kids Meal a permanent menu item beginning this month. All Kids Meals' will now be packaged in bags made from 100% recycled materials. Beverage cups will be made from 10% recycled materials. New packaging will feature information on recycling and other steps kids can take to make a positive impact on the environment.

"We're taking advantage of our ability to move quickly to introduce 100% recycled bags and improve the profile of our cups," said Brian Gies, vp-marketing impact at Burger King, Miami, in a statement. "Burger King Corp. is always looking for ways to reduce waste and promote sustainability. Our recycling efforts will be one part of our corporate social responsibility program that is currently under development. We are happy to take this positive step to help preserve the environment."

The new Kraft Kids Meal provides 350 total calories with less than 25% of calories from fat and 9% from saturated fat. Last September, the chain pledged to restrict 100% of national advertising aimed at children under 12 to Kids Meals meeting its new nutrition criteria by Dec. 31, 2008. BK spent $257.3 million on U.S. media last year (not including online), per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

The criteria includes offering meals with: no more than 560 calories, less than 30% of calories from fat, less than 10% of calories from saturated fat, no more than 10% of calories from added sugars and no trans fat.

BK also recently partnered with USDA to promote nutrition and education materials to kids and adults through its MyPyramid messaging.

The launch of the new nutritionally and environmentally friendly Kids Meals are being supported TV and in-store ads. The first spot, airing July 7, will introduce the Little King character. Created by ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami, the Little King is the young son of the famous (and somewhat creepy) BK brand icon.

Also beginning July 7, Jonas Brothers fans can go to BKJonasBrothers.com to get special online access to the summer tour, including ticketing and venue information and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks and sweepstakes opportunities. And, a series of 12 Pokemon toys will be available in Kids Meals for four weeks. The toys, which come with an official Pokemon trading card, feature a variety of Pokemon characters and double as card displays for the trading cards. They are being promoted in conjunction with the DVD release of the newest Pokemon movie. ClubBK.com will also launch in early July, giving kids and preteens access to interactive and age-appropriate games

An animated spot, breaking July 21, shows an apple exploding into BK Fresh Apple Fries after running into a slicer, and a macaroni noodle is transformed into Kraft Macaroni & Cheese after a collision with a block of cheese.