Article
QSRs take steps to tackle obesity
Healthier menu options part of industry push to curb obesity concerns.
February 25, 2008
Ten years ago, Jared Fogle became famous for losing 245 pounds in a year by cutting calories — eating two low-fat Subway sandwiches a day — and increasing his exercise. He has kept that weight off and has continued to inspire others over the years. In fact, in 2004, Subway tracked letters received from customers over the previous five-year period and estimated that a combined 400,000 pounds had been lost.
While surely exercise was a factor, diet played an integral part in the weight lost. Subway offers eight sandwiches with less than 6 grams of fat and, in recent years, has added several healthier side items: sliced apples, all-natural yogurt, raisins and baked chips.
Attempting to create solutions for what has turned into a worldwide epidemic, quick-service restaurants are trying to tackle the obesity issue one bite at a time.
Similar to Subway's offering of sliced apples, Burger King has worked to create a more healthful menu, especially for children.
In September 2007, Burger King joined 11 food and beverage companies in the Council for Better Business Bureau's initiative to limit advertising to children. By December 2008, the chain will restrict advertising to children younger than 12 to Kids Meals that provide:
- No more than 560 calories per meal
- Less than 30 percent of calories from fat
- Less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat
- No added trans fats
- No more than 10 percent of calories from added sugars
A meal that meets those requirements is in development and will be available in restaurants sometime in 2008. The meal will include flame-broiled chicken tenders, organic applesauce and 1-percent low-fat milk. Another product in development is BK Fresh Apple Fries, fresh-cut red apples sliced to resemble real fries served in a Frypod.
High-fructose corn syrup: a weighty issue
One possible culprit in the obesity battle is high-fructose corn syrup.
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is used as a sugar replacement in many processed foods and beverages. It is cheaper because of the abundance of corn in the United States, and creates products with a longer shelf life. Introduced into many foods and beverages in the 1970s and '80s — including Coca-Cola and Pepsi products in 1984 — the prevalence of the liquid sweetener has been tied to the spike in obesity.
Some say that HFCS is linked to obesity simply by contributing to the amount of empty calories consumed. Others suggest that HFCS actually may cause weight gain because it doesn't affect appetite. While the sucrose found in cane and beet sugars produces chemicals that alert the brain when the stomach is full, fructose does not. (Read also, Letter to the Editor: Corn Refiners Assoc. defends use of sweetener.)
"With all the recent research, just knowing that (HFCS) is an inexpensive concentrated form of sugar leads us to believe that it can be a source of weight gain," said Ronni Litz Julien, a nutritionist and registered dietitian.
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Since HFCS is found in many sweetened beverages, restaurants have started to offer alternatives such as unsweetened iced tea, unsweetened coffee, diet beverages, fruit juices and low-fat milk.
Smaller portions
Another combative method has been the offering of smaller portions.
"I used to think that it was a particular food, say pizza, that — if eaten in large amounts — would create a weight problem," Julien said. "Now, I have figured out, that the more choices available to us, whether it is the unhealthy or healthier foods, they can add weight if overeaten."
Portion control is a much bigger problem than ever before, she says, and as a remedy restaurants should reduce portions by as much as 50 percent.
Slightly more than half (53 percent) of consumers say fast-food restaurants make it easy to choose the right portion size, compared with 66 percent of sit-down table-service restaurants, according to the NRA's 2008 Restaurant Industry Forecast. In 2007, 11 percent of QSRs increased portion-size choices, compared with 19 percent of fine dining, 20 percent of casual dining and 27 percent of family dining. So, there's still room for improvement in this area, but restaurants are continuing to find ways to offer variety in portions.
"If restaurants would take the first step, and cut their portion sizes in half, we would be in much better shape," Julien said.
