Aussies snub healthy fast food options
A new Australian study shows that while healthier menu options are now on offer at many fast food restaurants, less than three per cent of
customers are actually buying them.
Researchers from Griffith University surveyed 1,025 Subway and McDonald’s customers on their lunchtime food purchases over a two month period. Only 2.5 per cent of customers who ordered a main meal bought a ‘nutritionally-promoted item’, such as McDonald’s Tick Approved choices or items which met Subway’s ‘Six grams of fat or
less’ claim.
Researcher Louise Atkinson will present her findings to the nation’s nutrition experts this week at the Dietitians Association of
Australia’s National Conference in Adelaide.
‘In response to rising obesity rates, many of the nation’s fast food chains have undergone a health kick in the past five years.
‘To their credit, they’ve created menu items that offer consumers an alternative choice. But our research shows that Australians just aren’t choosing these meals,’ said Atkinson, an Accredited Practising Dietitian.
According to Atkinson, people who bought the healthier choices were predominantly female, older than the average customer, and more likely to be working or training in a health-related profession.
She said those who did choose the nutritionally-promoted foods took in around 1500 fewer kilojoules and had up to an extra serve of vegetables, compared with those who chose the regular menus items.
Alarmingly, one in three Australians eat food prepared outside the home each day.
‘If people were choosing a healthier option over a hamburger and fries, then it’s a positive move – but they’re not. And the problem with traditional take-aways is that they are typically more kilojoule- laden and contain less vegetables,’ said Ms Atkinson.
Claire Hewat, CEO of the Dietitians Association of Australia, called on fast food outlets to continue working to reformulate their entire menus, making changes to the salt and fat content of their regular menu items and adding more vegetables, rather than just offering healthier menu options. |