Food Trucks: Healthy Enough to Deliver Nutrition Interventions?

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Food trucks have become very popular away from home food venues. Given their mobility and low overhead, food trucks are potential public health partners in delivering healthy options. However, there is lack of research about healthfulness of their offerings. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the healthfulness of food truck menu items. Methods This study was cross-sectional. Menus from all food trucks (n = 78) in the Detroit area were collected, including a total of 725 menu items. Nutritionist Pro was used to ascertain kilocalorie and nutrient content. Items were classified as healthy if less than 600 kilocalories, saturated fat <=10% of kilocalories, and at least 10% the Daily Value of at least one of calcium, iron, protein, fiber, vitamin D, or potassium. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test results were calculated. Results A total of 178 items (24.6%) were classified as healthy. Most of the healthy items were entrée items (72.5%), but appetizer items were more likely (P = 0.005) and dessert items less likely (P < .001) to be classified as healthy. Among 78 food trucks, there was wide variation in % of items deemed as healthy (range: 0–100%), with 55 (70.5%) offering at least one healthy item. Conclusions Findings of this novel study indicate that while food truck food is generally unhealthy, there is often at least one healthy item on a menu. Food trucks with higher percentages of healthy items likely have a more positive attitude toward healthy food preparation and may be more amenable to partnering on multi-level nutrition interventions involving food environment modification at venues like schools, worksites, community centers, and summer feeding programs. Funding Sources Oakland University School of Health Sciences Research Award.