Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions in the U.S., a fact not lost upon the fast-food industry.
As consumers become more health conscious and make better food choices, quick-serve restaurants are jumping on the low-fat bandwagon.
The truth is, if you’re looking for low-carbohydrate, low-sodium fast food, you’ll have to keep on driving because, for the most part, it still doesn’t exist, and some of the low-fat options require a lot of consumer vigilance (not using the croutons or taco chips or cheese, etc.).
Marilyn Tanner, a representative of the American Dietetic Association and a dietitian for St. Louis Children’s Hospital, warns that fast food “should be a sometimes thing.”
“But, often, Americans on the go have no other option than a fast-food restaurant, so make smart choices. Look at the nutrifacts many are displaying these days and select the healthiest offering,” she says, suggesting broiled, grilled or baked items instead of deep-fried.
“Go for junior-size sandwiches, broiled vegetables and ketchup and mustard instead of gooky sauces, mayonnaise, tartar sauce and cheese,” she adds.
“Ultimately, it’s still going to be up to the consumer to look at the numbers. A salad is a good choice until we add the deep-fried croutons, high-fat dressings, sour cream, cheese and so on,” Tanner says. “The consumer is the ultimate decision-maker of what goes in his body. All food fits in a healthy diet, even french fries. We just have to watch our portions.”
But are consumers being told the truth? Tanner says that fast-food outlets must be on the up-and-up with their lower-calorie, lower-fat claims; otherwise the ADA or watchdogs like the not-for-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest will challenge them.
One instance is Kentucky Fried Chicken. Not wanting to be left holding a grease-stained bag, in a statement released this fall, KFC Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc. of Louisville announced that fried chicken, eaten in moderation, can be part of a healthful, balanced diet that includes exercise.
The statement, offered by Scott Bergren, KFC executive vice president of marketing and food innovation, is an effort to “set the record straight.”
KFC’s ad campaign stated that a KFC Original Recipe Chicken Breast has 19 grams of fat and 380 calories as compared to a Burger King Whopper’s 43 fat grams and 710 calories. By removing the skin and breading from the KFC item, the fat content is reduced to 3 grams, with 95 milligrams of cholesterol, and the calories go down to 140. However, it’s not clear how many people will get rid of what they consider to be the best part.
KFC unveiled its new pitch in two television commercials. One depicts two 20-something men rediscovering KFC, and the second shows a husband “appeasing” his health-conscious wife by eating fried chicken. In early November, CSPI filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission urging the agency to force the ads off the air. “These ads don’t tell the truth,” said executive director Michael F. Jacobson.
The ads posit that fried chicken is for those who are watching carbs. And, although the television commercials flash disclaimers that fried chicken is a not a low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-sodium food, the overall message negates any warnings to the public, Jacobson said.
KFC pulled the ads off the air a week before Thanksgiving, but declined to say whether the decision was related to CSPI’s complaint, according to published reports.
KFC is exploring an oven-roasted entree served over long-grain rice with a side of marinated vegetables and roll.
Glad Markunas, senior vice president of consumer insights and strategic branding for the Miami-based Burger King Corp., admits that, while their three new fire-grilled chicken sandwiches on freshly baked baguettes–the Santa Fe Baguette hawked by Chicago’s own Rick Bayless–are not low in sodium or carbohydrates, they contain only 350 calories and 5 grams of fat, fully loaded, sauce and all.
“Dining on the go is not just a treat anymore, it’s a way of life,” Markunas says. “But people are having trouble finding healthy food on the go, so we created these sandwiches with the goals of health, freshness, speed and quality in mind,” she said.
All these efforts get some approval from CSPI.
“McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King are at least adding new menu items and starting to give consumers a wider range of choices now and that’s a good trend,” says Jeff Cronin, CSPI communications director. “One of the things we’ve been advocating this year is for the legislature to require calorie counts on menu boards. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) are pushing the Menu Education and Labeling Act (MEAL) in Congress right now.”
Wendy’s four Garden Sensations entree salads have been around since early 2002, and Bob Bertini, a representative of Wendy’s, based in Dublin, Ohio. Bertini says consumers have control over how low-fat the salad is.
“It all depends on what you put on them. We have nine different salad-dressing options ranging from fat-free to reduced fat, and many of the condiments are packaged separately, such as the rice noodles for the Mandarin chicken salad and taco chips and sour cream for the Taco Supremo,” said Bertini.
Wendy’s also is exploring new kids’ meal options featuring milk and a fresh fruit cup of honeydew melon and cantaloupe chunks instead of french fries.
Laura Schalow, director of public relations for Taco Bell, based in Irvine, Calif., said instead of creating a new product, it introduced the Fresco Style option in August, which replaces cheese and sauces with a five-calorie sauce and a less than five-calorie Fiesta Salsa. If ordered Fresco Style, the menu now offers 15 items with 10 grams of fat or less.
“We introduced a product line called Border Lites in 1995 and it didn’t do well. Consumers told us they wanted lower-fat products, but their buying habits didn’t match that. I think the public is finally ready,” Schalow says.
Jackie Newgent, a dietitian, chef and nutrition consultant from New York City, developed the “Keep It Balanced” program for Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut.
Pizza Hut’s better-for-you rollout is Fit ‘N Delicious Pizza with half the cheese and twice the sauce of a regular pizza in ham, chicken or vegetarian options and toppings of your choice.
McDonald’s introduced a line of chicken salads with Newman’s Own dressings in late March. They include the California Cobb, Bacon Ranch and Caesar salad.
Cathy Kapica, McDonald’s director of worldwide nutrition, says the fat grams in one of their premium salads can change, based on whether one chooses grilled chicken or deep-fried and what dressing is chosen.
“People should eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. One of our premium salads constitutes two servings of vegetables,” Kapica says.
As part of its healthy initiatives program, McDonald’s is testing the Go Active Happy Meal for adults in Indianapolis. Created in conjunction with fitness expert Bob Greene and part of the chain’s “Step With It” campaign, the meal includes a premium (entree) salad, medium-size drink or bottle of water and a step-o-meter, a kind of pedometer.
Another product in test markets is the Del Rio salad, a Southwestern beef premium salad.
All of this is well and good, says Subway Restaurants, but what about them? Les Winograd, a representative for the Milford, Conn., based company, says the cornerstone of its menu–seven subs containing 6 grams of fat or less–has been available since the late ’90s.
“All the others are trying to play catch-up. Over the years, we also have introduced gourmet sandwich sauces, some fat-free, including red-wine vinaigrette, honey-mustard (140 mg sodium, 6 g sugar, 7 g carbohydrate) and sweet onion sauce (100 mg sodium, 8 g sugar, 9 g carbohydrate),” Winograd says.
“To my knowledge, Subway is the only restaurant chain allowed to use the `five-a-day’ slogan from the National Cancer Institute and Produce for Better Health Foundation,” Winograd says.
Despite these few healthful additions to fast-food menus, the bulk of their sales remain a challenge to a healthful diet, unless consumed sparingly as Tanner advised. The latest offering from Hardee’s? A Thickburger in 1/3-pound, 1/2-pound and 2/3-pound versions, all of which CSPI term “food porn.”
