Nutritional Quality of Fast Food Kids Meals and Their Contribution to the Diets of School-Aged Children.

Ana Gabriela Palos Lucio,Laura Quezada Méndez,Lizbeth Tolentino-Mayo,Corina Olvera Miranda,Diana Nicte-Há Sansores Martínez

doi:10.3390/nu12030612

Ana Gabriela Palos Lucio, Laura Quezada Méndez + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12030612

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Abstract

International data indicate that children and adolescents obtain around one third of their daily food intake from products consumed outside their home. Food products from restaurants are usually higher in calories and lower in nutritional value than those prepared home. We evaluated the nutritional quality in kids’ meals from three fast food chains and two movie theaters and compared them with nutritional recommendations for Mexican school-age population. Results showed that the menu options marketed for school-age children have higher caloric contributions than those recommended, in addition to a deficient nutritional quality. The contribution of caloric and of almost all macronutrients for all mealtimes is not only high but even above 100% or 200% of the mean recommended daily intake (reaching to more than 400% of the recommendations of carbohydrates and lipids of preschool age group). In particular, the snack main dish (popcorn), provides over 100% of the mean energy intake recommendations for the three school age groups and for preschool age group, this contribution could reach to 270%. Therefore, regulations regarding nutritional recommendations should exist for these types of commercialized food products for school-age children, along with mandatory and clear labeling that allows consumers to be able to make better choices for their kids.

Highlights

In 2016, Mexico declared an epidemiologic emergency due to high prevalence of obesity and diabetes mellitus [1]
The purpose of the present analysis is to identify the nutritional quality of kids’ meals in fast food restaurants and their contribution to the diet of school age children
The locations were selected using information provided by the National Institute of Geography and Statistics (INEGI), considering a perimeter of 2.485 miles from the Laboratory of Food Science and Biochemistry at the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí (UASLP), where the analysis was done

Summary

Introduction

In 2016, Mexico declared an epidemiologic emergency due to high prevalence of obesity and diabetes mellitus [1]. In Mexico, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) (2010), 6%, 28%, and 62% of deaths related to cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, respectively, are due to dietetic risk factors such as: Low consumption of fruit, vegetables, milk, seafood, and high consumption of red meats, processed beef, and sugar sweetened drinks [4]. The appearance and growth of fast food has been a key factor in the change of the food system and the increase of these diseases. Popkin and Reardon (2018) estimate that in Mexico, the growth in sales from fast food restaurants has been of 7% between 2011 and 2014, and chains like McDonald’s

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