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332 HEALTH & NUTRITION
Health and nutrition on
restaurant row
A. Elizabeth Sloan
H ealth is on the front burner in restau-
rants. And for that matter, in corpo-
rate cafeterias, school lunch programs,
correctional institutions and other parts of
the $511 billion U.S. food service industry,
too!
McDonald’s—the world’s largest restau-
rant chain—credits healthy menu additions
and a more varied menu with fueling one
of the most successful years in its 50 year
history. The NPD Group, based in Port
Washington, New York, USA, reports that
diet soft drinks, main dish salads, milk, fruit,
and bottled water have joined chicken
nuggets/strips, French fries, burgers and
breaded chicken sandwiches on the “Top 10”
list of the fastest growing restaurant orders
(Table 1).
Two-thirds of restaurant operators in the
United States reported that their patrons
ordered more customized menu items in 2005.
In fact, 54% were modified to be “heart
healthy” according to Restaurant Consultants,
Inc. of Broomall, Pennsylvania, USA. And
just about half of employers in the United
States say they have swapped fattening foods
for healthier items on corporate cafeteria
menus reports the Deloitte Center for Health
Solutions ofWashington, D.C., USA.
Menu makeover
mania
In 2005, health had an impact
on restaurant visits. According
to the U.S. National Restaurant
Association (NRA) based in
Washington, D.C., USA, nearly
three out of four adults said they
tried to eat more healthfully
in restaurants last year than they
did two years ago. Not surpris-
ingly, the movement for healthy
menu makeovers is gaining
momentum.
inform • May 2006 • Volume 17 (5)
MCCAIN FOODS
After downsizing its super-sizing and
adding fruit, yogurt and more upscale salad
and chicken lines to its menu choices,
McDonald’s announced in January 2006 that
it plans to add more freshly prepared foods Many food service foods are now pre-
to its menu. In February, McDonalds launched pared using more healthful oils.
phase one of its nutrition labeling program
involving more than 20,000 of its restaurants
options on the children’s menu. Global
in North American, Europe, Asia and Latin
coffee giant Starbucks (Seattle, Washington,
America.
USA) is touting a new frappuccino light
Applebee’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill,
blended coffee, and even Dairy Queen
a global casual dining chain headquartered
(Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA), known the
in Overland Park, Kansas, USA, partnered
world over for its soft serve ice cream and
with Weight Watchers, the international weight
frozen ice cream treats now offers low-calo-
management group, to add Weight Watchers
rie, low-fat and gluten-free ice cream treats.
approved food choices and the correspon-
And it is not over yet. Although more
ding Weight Watchers food point values to
than half of consumers feel that fast food
the Applebee’s menu. Another U.S.-based
marketers did a better job of providing more
international casual dining chain, Ruby
healthful options last year than the year before,
Tuesday, developed a “Smart Eating” plan
one-third still remain very concerned about
for adults and children and switched to canola
the nutritional content of fast food. More than
oil for their fries and other fried foods. The
one-third of patrons in the United States said
Maryville, Tennessee, company also tried—
they would visit one of their regular chains
unsuccessfully—to include nutrition infor-
more often if it offered a greater number of
mation directly on the menu.
healthful foods; two-thirds would visit a chain
In North America, the Orlando, Florida,
they don’t typically patronize if it met their
USA-based Red Lobster restaurant chain cre-
healthy eating needs reports Sandelman and
ated their health-directed “Lighthouse Menu”
Associates, a U.S. foodservice consumer
which also provides fat, calorie and carbo-
information research organization headquar-
hydrate information, and added baked and
tered in San Clemente, California.
broiled fish and chicken alternatives to fried
Focus still on fat
COURTESY APPLEBEE’S
While watching weight and lim-
iting fat intake continue to be the
most prevalent nutrition behav-
iors when eating and ordering
food away from home, the pro-
portion of diners who say they
are “strongly attempting” to do
so has dropped slightly to 29%
and 33%, respectively, accord-
ing to Aramark’s Nutritional
DiningStyles Research; one in
five are “strongly attempting” to
24 Restaurants 4/26/06 1:16 PM Page 333
inform • May 2006 • Volume 17 (5)
limit intake of trans fatty acids. Aramark is light selections included chips and pretzels,
a global leader in food management services entrée salads, turkey/turkey club sandwiches,
with headquarters in Philadelphia, side salads, Mexican food, cold cut combo
Pennsylvania, USA. sandwiches and chicken nuggets/strips.
The NPD Group reports that most peo- Although you might not classify them as
ple in the United States eat some “better-for- lighter fare, when put in the context of other
you” items at home or in restaurants at least foods eaten throughout the day, consumers
once during a two-week period: 75% felt that their meal choice was going to be
reduced/non-fat food, 51% light/diet, 37% lighter.
vitamin-fortified, 31% reduced-cholesterol, The switch to healthier eating is also
22% sugar-free and 13% organic. bringing with it new food service opportu-
With 78 million Baby Boomers in the nities for oils. Two-thirds of restaurant oper-
United States now aged 42–60 using restau- ators in the United States told the NRA that
rants more frequently than the previous gen- their customers ordered more fish or seafood,
eration of that age, catering to the food salads, chicken and appetizers over the
preferences of older, wealthier consumers is past two years. The U.S. Department of
an essential restaurant strategy. According Agriculture projects seafood consumption
to the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) will increase 26% by 2020, and one in five
of Harleysville, Pennsylvania, USA, satu- chain restaurants added seafood/fish items
rated fat, cholesterol, total fat, and trans fatty to their menu in the second quarter of 2005
acids top the list of ingredients more than according to Food Beat, Inc. of Wheaton,
half of Boomers are trying to avoid, followed Illinois, USA. While broiled and baked seafood
by calories, sugar, and sodium. items are gaining strength on menus, fried
The vast majority of younger adults remains the preferred preparation technique.
(aged 18–29) in the United States purchase Nuggets and strips top the list of chicken
food from restaurants almost once a day (and preparations, followed by breaded chicken
eat away from home more than any other age sandwiches and fried chicken reports NPD.
group) are looking for weight-friendly, per- Chicken is the most popular sandwich, send-
formance-driven foods. NMI reports that ing sales of dressings/toppings soaring. Mintel
80% of these young adults check food labels International’s Menu Insights Group reports
for calories and 78% total fat content. that Caesar dressing—the most popular top-
As Americans rely more on restaurants ping—enjoyed triple digit growth on menus
to provide family meals, the pressure to pro- last year.
vide healthier take-out will escalate. According At the same time, chefs are finding new
to the NPD Group, in 2005 more food was uses for premium oils. Dipping artisan and
taken out from restaurants to eat at home than ethnic breads into flavored oils has become
was eaten on the premise. a popular restaurant pastime. Chefs are driz-
zling hot premium oil on French fries, sal-
ads and even using them in dessert preparations.
Two sides to the menu
But health is not an all-or-nothing propo-
sition when eating at, or taking food away Menu labeling
from, restaurants. When it comes to their Right after fresh minimally processed
diet, consumers are seeking overall balance— foods, more than half of restaurant chain
indulging in outrageous desserts, portion chefs said nutrition disclosure on menus
sizes and fried foods will be the next
when it suits their major menu trend,
mood and eating sal- followed by por-
ads, fish, fruit and diet The movement for tion options, grab-
drinks to counteract and-go, comfort foods,
the damage when healthy menu tapas/small bites,
they feel they have makeovers is ethnic foods and
gone too far. regional American
More impor- gaining momentum. foods ac-cording to a
tantly, healthful seems 2005 NRN survey.
to be in the eye of the Ara-mark confirms
beholder. According that 40% of people
to the NPD Group, customers who said they surveyed in the United States would like to
chose a quickservice restaurant brand because see nutrition information printed on menus.
it offered “healthy” or “light” fare were most Savvy operators are featuring health-
likely to order chicken sandwiches, burgers, ful descriptors on their menus. According
or French fries. Other frequent healthy or to Mintel International’s Menu Insights
HEALTH & NUTRITION 333
Group, fat-free is the number one nutrition
claim on menus of the top 350 chains. In the
United States, the states of Illinois,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
and Vermont have pending legislation to
require chain restaurants to display at least
basic information (fat, calories, carbohy-
drates and sodium). As of December 2005,
bills in the states of West Virginia, California,
Maine, Hawaii, Connecticut and Arkansas
have been defeated or set aside.
Don’t touch my fries
Although McDonald’s made a bold move
by putting nutritional information on its pack-
aging, the company backed down from an
earlier announcement to significantly reduce
the trans fatty acids in its frying oil, although
it is currently quietly testing other options
around the country. In February 2006,
McDonald’s announced that its fries con-
tain a third more trans fatty acids than pre-
viously thought, citing results of a new testing
method it began using in December.
McDonalds fries in canola oil in Australia,
Denmark and Israel. Other restaurant chains
such as Ruby Tuesday have made the switch
to trans-free oil.
But even if operators are reluctant to
alter their frying oil for fries, there are other
foodservice options available. Cavendish
Farms” (Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada)
Fine-Coat brand fries are made with non-
hydrogenated oil. Simplot’s (Boise, Idaho,
USA) Infinity™ fries have zero grams trans
fatty acid and no partially hydrogenated oils.
McCain Foods Ltd. of Florenceville, New
Brunswick, Canada, the world’s largest pro-
ducer of frozen French fries, has a line of
foodservice fries made with canola oil.
Kids’ health
The pressure to improve children’s dietary
intake will accelerate. The U.S. Centers for
24 Restaurants 4/26/06 1:16 PM Page 334

334 HEALTH & NUTRITION inform • May 2006 • Volume 17 (5)

Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Future eating

Georgia, estimates that 31% of the country’s
children and teens are, or at risk of becom-
ing overweight. The U.S. National Institutes
of Health and the American Academy of
Pediatrics have joined together to set new
standards for blood lipid levels in children
and now recommend cholesterol levels of
children with a family history of heart dis-
ease be monitored beginning at age 3. Some
experts estimate that 41% of children in
the United States may have high cholesterol
levels.
Lastly, restaurant operators in all geo-
graphic segments report an increase in the
number of parties with children under age
13. In response, 41% of family and causal
dining restaurants say they now offer a greater
variety of healthful options on their kids’
menus than they did two years ago, and 29%
of fine dining operators say they do, accord-
ing to the NRA.
Sometime in the next 5–10 years consumers’
eating habits and expectations of food at
restaurants will change significantly in terms
of health. Consumers will be much more
focused on healthy preparation styles, por-
tion sizes and meal eating frequency. And
with predictions that more than half of all
food dollars will be going to away-from-
home eating by 2010, restaurants will remain
a key focus for improving our health.
A. Elizabeth Sloan is the President of Sloan
Trends & Solutions, Inc., an Escondido,
California-based consulting firm that offers
trend-tracking and predictions, strategic
counsel and business-building ideas for food,
supplement and food service/restaurant mar-
keters. Contact her by e-mail: sloantrend@
sbcglobal.net. ■
information
Learn more
AOCS Press offers many books on
health, nutrition, novel oils, and func-
tional foods. Just a few are listed here;
the complete catalog can be viewed
online at netlink: www.aocs.org/
catalog. For more information or to
order, go online or call +1-217-359-
2344.
■ Fish, Omega-3 and Human Health,
2nd Edition by William E. Lands
■ Healthful Lipids, Casimir C. Akoh
and Oi-Ming Lai, editors

Creating Laboratory Integrity

AOCS Methods are vital to the success
of your analysis.
The Official Methods and Recommended Practices of the AOCS have long been
regarded as the standard publication for analytical methods critical to process-
ing, trading, utilizing, and evaluating fats, oils, and lipid products. Maintaining
this tradition, the 5th Edition, 2nd Printing, includes over 400 methods.

Also included are all Additions and Revisions from 1999–2006, making certain
your testing methods are up-to-date. Offered in three different formats, the
Official Methods and Recommended Practices of the AOCS, 5th Edition, 2nd
Printing, is an essential tool for ensuring analytical integrity.
PA R A M E D I A 1 1 2 9 / 0 6

For more information on AOCS Methods and/or Additions and Revisions, please visit www.aocs.org/tech/methods.asp
or www.aocs.org/tech/additions.asp
Phone: +1-217-359-5401, ext. 111 I Fax: +1-217-351-8091 I E-mail: technical@aocs.org www.aocs.org/tech

1129_GS_an
24 Restaurants 4/26/06 1:16 PM Page 335

Engineers of Food Processing Technology

The
y acid
NON tr s fatt
an
solution

Your government is about to ban trans fatty acids.

The consumer is ready to dump it.
Are you ready to produce without it?
Trans fatty acids threaten the health by increasing Perhaps it
the risk of heart diseases and type II diabetes. Europe might be
just a small
has taken legislative measures to ban trans fats and detail in the
the US FDA* recommends reducing them to less production
that brings
than 1% of energy.
your product
To solve the problem you not only have to change raw ahead in the
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Even though it looks and

PA R A M E D I A 1 1 2 9 / 0 6

tastes beautifully – if it
contains trans fatty
acids it might be harmful
to the health.

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