The posting of nutritional information has become more commonplace for quick-service brands, whether on a QSR's Web site or required by local ordinance to be posted on menu boards. Providing accurate information may be more of a challenge than many brands perceived, if a new study out of Tufts University is any indication.
The study, published in the January 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, found that some commercially prepared restaurant foods, including at a number of QSR chains, understate the actual number of calories, according to Science Daily.
The study measured the caloric content, or energy value, of meals at 29 QSR and casual-dining chains in the Boston area and found that the menu items averaged 18 percent more calories than the brands' stated values. Some of the discrepancy arose from restaurants that allow guests to chose a free side item, thereby typically raising the calorie count by an average of 471 calories.
