Healthy Menu Research Articles

The Effect of Nutrition Information on Consumers’ Healthy Menu Choices at a Fast Food Restaurant

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of nutrition information on menu choices at a fast food restaurant. Three versions of menus were presented to participants: no nutrition information, total calories only, and full nutrition information. Results from the experiment with 245 participants reveal that 1) providing nutrition information led to healthier menu choices; 2) individual differences in BMI and gender moderated the influence of nutrition information on food choice. Based on the result of this study, provision of total calories only would be the most effective way of presenting nutrition information on menus to promote consumer's healthier menu choices at a fast food restaurant.

Perceived healthiness of food. If it's healthy, you can eat more!

The main aim of this study was to investigate the effects of food-related beliefs about the healthiness of foods, restrained eating, and weight salience on actual food intake during an ad libitum snack. In a 2 (healthy vs. unhealthy) by 2 (restrained vs. unrestrained eaters) by 2 (weight salient vs. not salient) factorial design, 99 female undergraduate students were invited to taste and rate oatmeal-raisin cookies. Dietary restraint and weight salience did not influence snack intake, but participants ate about 35% more when the snack was regarded as healthy than when it was seen as unhealthy. Ratings of the snack food's “healthiness,” “capacity to affect weight” and “appropriateness in a healthy menu” also indicated that the “healthy” manipulation was effective. In addition, the “weight salience” manipulation appears to influence perceptions about food differently in restrained versus unrestrained eaters, in that restrained eaters rated the snack food more negatively than unrestrained eaters did when they received weight feedback before eating. Beliefs about the healthiness of foods may thus be of great relevance to both food intake and weight gain.

Effective nutrition labeling of restaurant menu and pricing of healthy menu

AbstractProviding nutritional information on restaurant menus may help customers make healthier eating choices. This paper presents the results of a two‐phase study designed to identify (i) the most preferred amount of nutritional information for a menu, (ii) whether presentation of nutritional information influenced healthier choices, and (iii) whether people are willing to pay more for food choices they perceive to be healthier. We found that participants’ attitudes toward the amount of nutritional information and toward the credibility of its source correlated directly to the amount of nutritional information presented; the more nutritional information presented, the more helpful the information and the more credible the source. Additionally, the participants’ nutrition‐related and overall attitudes toward a menu item were influenced by the provision of nutritional information. The participants showed the most positive attitudes toward a low‐fat item and were willing to pay more for that item when nutrition information was provided.

Extended schools: You are what you eat!

Schoolfriend etc has always provided a healthy snack for children going to Schoolfriend clubs. Over recent years, there has been an increasing demand from parents and children to provide a full hot supper. In response to this, in May 2007, Schoolfriend etc began a pilot project to offer a new ‘healthy supper menu’ in a number of Schoolfriend clubs across the country.

Construction of web-based nutrition education contents and searching engine for usage of healthy menu of children

A diet habit, which is developed in childhood, lasts for a life time. In this sense, nutrition education and early exposure to healthy menus in childhood is important. Children these days have easy access to the internet. Thus, a web-based nutrition education program for children is an effective tool for nutrition education of children. This site provides the material of the nutrition education for children with characters which are personified nutrients. The 151 menus are stored in the site together with video script of the cooking process. The menus are classified by the criteria based on age, menu type and the ethnic origin of the menu. The site provides a search function. There are three kinds of search conditions which are key words, menu type and "between" expression of nutrients such as calorie and other nutrients. The site is developed with the operating system Windows 2003 Server, the web server ZEUS 5, development language JSP, and database management system Oracle 10 g.

全国の保健所における「栄養成分表示」「ヘルシーメニュー提供」推進の状況

全国の保健所における「栄養成分表示」「ヘルシーメニュー提供」推進の状況

Tioga County Fit for Life: A Primary Obesity Prevention Project

Pediatric obesity, which has reached epidemic proportions in the United States in the past 10 years, translates directly into rising rates of adult obesity. This study assessed the impact of a school, family, community, and industry-based primary intervention project on the rates of overweight and obesity in a rural countywide cohort of children in grades kindergarten through 8. It included classroom education, student/ family wellness booklets, point source healthy menus, occupational health analyses, and community health fairs. A 5-year longitudinal analysis of grade-specific rates of overweight and obesity of the participating children showed that overweight and obesity rates increased for all cohorts. Key elements contribute to increasing rates of pediatric obesity. Inadequate penetration of education/information dissemination and lag time represent 2 explanations for the lack of obesity reduction during the program implementation period. Strategies for successful engagement of multiple groups are essential to effectively reverse the pediatric obesity epidemic.

How Major Restaurant Chains Plan Their Menus: The Role of Profit, Demand, and Health

Increased away-from-home eating is associated with lower diet quality, and may contribute to the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity. Healthier food choices in restaurants may help mitigate the rise in obesity and improve diet quality. This study sought to understand the views of executives at major U.S. restaurant chains regarding the process, motivation for, and challenges of offering healthier options on their menus. The Healthy Menu Study used in-depth structured telephone interviews with 41 senior menu development and marketing executives at leading casual dining and fast-food restaurant chains. The interview guide covered menu trends, influences on introduction and continuation of new menu items, and barriers to adding healthy foods. Data analysis included tabulation of responses, identification of themes, and examination of subgroup differences. Growing sales and increasing profits are the most important considerations, mentioned by 61% of respondents; health and nutrition were noted as important by 21%. Restaurants may try to avoid losing groups with a "health seeker" by offering healthier foods (low in fat and calories, more fruits and vegetables) (27% of chains), but operators believe demand for healthier foods is not widespread. Additional obstacles to including healthier menu items are short shelf life of produce (46%), increased preparation time, low sales, and high labor costs. Not surprisingly, profit margins are the primary determinants of why restaurants do or do not add and continue to serve healthier food options. Without an increase in consumer demand, it is unlikely the restaurant industry will increase their offering of healthy food choices. Insight into the restaurant industry perspective is important for developing promising strategies to encourage healthier eating patterns.

Mapping public policy options responding to obesity: the case of Spain

This study assesses the opinions of the main Spanish stakeholders from food and physical exercise policy networks on public policy options for responding to obesity. We followed the multi-criteria mapping methodology in the framework of the European project 'Policy options in responding to obesity' (PorGrow), through a structured interview to 21 stakeholders. A four-step approach was taken: options, criteria, scoring and weighting, obtaining in this way a measure of the performance of each option which integrates qualitative and quantitative information. In an overall analysis, the more popular policy options where those grouped as educational initiatives: include food and health in the school curriculum, improve health education to the general public, improve the training of health professionals in obesity care and prevention, incentives to caterers to provide healthier menus and improve community sports facilities. Fiscal measures as subsidies and taxes had the lowest support. The criteria assessed as priorities were grouped as efficacy and societal benefits. Obesity in Spain can be approached through public policies, although the process will not be easy or immediate. The feasibility of changes requires concerned public policymakers developing long-term actions taking into account the map of prioritized options by the stakeholders.

Changing school dinners: food for thought?

When headteacher Matt Percival discovered his new school had ‘serious weaknesses’ his strategy for improvement was to revolutionize the school canteen. Healthier menus not only counter the rising levels of obesity but also aid children's concentration, helping them to achieve academically.

The Availability of Healthy Food Options in Fast Food Outlets in Six Rural Counties

Background: The environment in which an individual lives can play a role in food choice as food selection may be limited to those readily available. Rural environments, in particular, may have less availability to healthy foods due to unique characteristics of these areas. Fast foods may be present in rural areas but the number of healthy options at restaurants and other food outlets may be limited. Methods: Using food outlets identified in the Brazos Valley Food Environment Project, marketing of fast food items and data on the type and number of healthy menu options were surveyed and compared with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines. Results: 222 fast food outlets were identified within 6 rural counties; 98 were primarily fast foods, 112 were convenience stores with fast food, and 12 were grocery stores with fast food. Healthy options for breakfast meals were available in 22.4% of fast food stores, 8.9% of convenience stores, and 50% of grocery stores. Healthy options for lunch entrees were available at 67.3% of fast food stores, 35.7% of convenience stores, and 75% of grocery stores. The types of healthy options varied among stores. When compared to other fast food outlets, national chain fast food stores were more likely to offer healthy options. Conclusions: Analyzing healthy options from fast food stores only may exclude outlets that are the predominant sources of fast food in rural areas. Additionally, healthy options are more likely to be found in national chain restaurants but the majority of fast food outlets are not national chains.

Fast Food to Healthy Food

ABSTRACT A recent headline in the Nation's Restaurant News (2002) asked the question: “Should Restaurants Bear the Burden of Monitoring Americans' Diets?”. Society has grown increasingly conscientious about health care costs and the question is consistent with this trend. In light of some highly publicized cases of litigation and debates between consumer groups and food service professionals, this question is the cornerstone of a debate centered upon weighing the nutritional value of fast food, and the responsibility of these organizations to provide healthy alternatives for consumers. The purpose of this study is to discern the role that quick service restaurants are expected to play in health and nutrition; it will also focus upon what they are actually doing to promote healthier menu items. The current study examined the fast food industry's efforts to address its highly controversial role as a possible contributor to the nation's health care crisis. The setting for this study was the Detroit metropolitan area, which serves as a microcosm of greater metropolitan areas throughout the United States because of the region's rich racial, ethnic and cultural diversity (Upton, 2004). Moreover, the state of Michigan has been identified as one of the leading locales for residents who are obese (Burros, 2003; Niesse, 2004; Price, 2003; Hirsch, 2004; Upton, 2004). Because of the recent prevalence of overweight and obesity throughout much of the world, the findings from this study can guide future research on an international basis. Implications for management are discussed.

How to analyse and develop healthy menus in foodservice

AbstractIn addition to playing a pivotal role in assessing customer satisfaction, menus play an important role in the foodservice production process. Additionally, the type and quality of foods offered on menus may have a direct correlation with health promotion. To verify the nutritional quality of menus, a qualitative assessment method – the Qualitative Evaluation of Menu Components (QEMC) – is being proposed. The method is derived from the Standard QEMC and offers variations such as the Buffet QEMC and the Portugal QEMC. Menu items can be improved during the planning stage when using this assessment, which allows for corrections prior to production. These changes can lead to a healthier and more attractive menu from the sensory point of view, fulfilling the role of relieving hunger and feeding with quality, thus promoting health through the foods offered.

Healthier Choices and Increased Participation in a Middle School Lunch Program: Effects of Nutrition Policy Changes in San Francisco

In order to address overall nutritional health, including increases in numbers of overweight children and adolescents, the San Francisco Unified School District implemented a progressive nutrition policy beginning in August 2003. We review this policy and focus on its impact on school and district revenues and students' participation in the federally subsidized school lunch program. We examined changes in menu items and the consequent effects of these changes on student eating patterns and school revenues at Aptos Middle School in San Francisco. This case study and additional district data show that provision of healthy menu options led to increased student participation in the federal school lunch program.

A Culinary Approach to Healthy Menu Items

With the recent obesity epidemic, school foodservice managers and culinary experts are looking for ways to improve adolescents' diets. School lunches provide an ideal opportunity for offering nutritious menu items and encouraging healthy diets. The purpose of this study was to explore (1) whether increase fruit and vegetable menu choices in school lunch increased middle school students' (grades 6-8) overall opinion of school lunch, (2) which factors were used by students in deciding what to eat at school, and (3) which factors affected students' overall opinion of school lunch. Students from five middle schools in one central Kentucky county completed a voluntary questionnaire. A total of 947 middle school students participated for a total response rate of 23%. The variables measured in the study included opinion of school lunch, awareness of healthy menu items, number of healthy menu items tried, number of sampling cart items tried, and decisions factors regarding what to eat at school. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and test of proportions were performed. This study found that students who tried the greatest number of healthy menu items found school lunch to be significantly much better. The five most important deciding factors regarding what to eat at school were: food tastes good, food looks good, how hungry the student is, food is healthy, and amount of food. Sixth graders found healthiness of food to be a significantly stronger factor than seventh and eighth graders and were more influenced by what parents wanted them to eat. Our findings encourage school food-service managers and culinary experts to target adolescents early. School foodservice teams should keep foremost in mind that nutritious fruit and vegetable menu items, which taste good, are visually appealing, and satisfy hunger, are important to adolescents.

An Evaluation of the “TrEAT Yourself Well” Restaurant Nutrition Campaign

This study examined the effect of the "TrEAT Yourself Well" campaign on diners'menu choices using data from four restaurant chains in California. Within each chain, two locations in the greater San Diego area were selected as experimental sites and either one or two locations outside the greater San Diego area were selected as control sites. Various promotional activities, including in-restaurant promotions, community events, and paid media advertising, were conducted in the experimental region to promote healthy menu entrées. The results show that the campaign was successful in reaching diners and had positive effects on their beliefs and attitudes toward healthy dining. The campaign directly increased the probability of a consumer purchasing a healthy menu item by 3.7% (p = .05). By improving consumer attitudes toward healthy menu items, the campaign indirectly increased purchases of these items by 4.4%.

Books as Broccoli? Images as Ice Cream? Providing a Healthy Menu in a College English Classroom

Commentary| April 01 2006 Books as Broccoli? Images as Ice Cream? Providing a Healthy Menu in a College English Classroom Jacqueline Foertsch Jacqueline Foertsch Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Pedagogy (2006) 6 (2): 209–230. https://doi.org/10.1215/15314200-2005-002 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Jacqueline Foertsch; Books as Broccoli? Images as Ice Cream? Providing a Healthy Menu in a College English Classroom. Pedagogy 1 April 2006; 6 (2): 209–230. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/15314200-2005-002 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter Books & JournalsAll JournalsPedagogy Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Duke University Press2006 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal Issue Section: Commentaries You do not currently have access to this content.

A Study of Consumers' Response to Quick Service Restaurants' Healthy Menu Items

Nutritional choices play an important role in the increasing prevalence of overweight and obese adults and children. American consumers are pressuring restaurant companies to offer healthier restaurant menu options. The current study uses a content analysis of the literature to explain consumers' attitudes toward nutrition and healthy eating and a repeated measures ANOVA of key menu items from 31 quick service hamburger restaurants to analyze actual consumer eating behavior. Based on the content analysis, it was determined that consumer attitudes regarding healthy eating have declined in the last twenty years. The statistical analysis of the data found a significant increase in the amount of “healthy” menu items purchased and a statistically significant decrease in the number of side items purchased over the past three years. The number of regular entrée menu items purchased did not change. Implications for practice in the restaurant industry and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The Cardiovascular State of the Union

As we reach the midpoint of the first decade of the twenty-first century, we are also at the midpoint in the timeline of the American Heart Association (AHA) strategic plan to reduce coronary heart disease, stroke, and risk by 25% by the year 2010.1,2 Encouraging evidence demonstrates important gains toward that goal, with decreases in coronary heart disease and stroke mortality, as well as reductions in certain risk factors such as cigarette consumption and untreated hypercholesterolemia. Still, troubling evidence indicates that other ominous risk factors—physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, diabetes, and hypertension—are on the rise,3 especially among adolescents and young adults, and these may contribute to the next wave of the cardiovascular epidemic. And there is undeniable evidence that not all Americans have shared equally in the improved cardiovascular outcomes. Individuals in specific subgroups defined by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geography have a disproportionate burden of myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, and other cardiovascular events. These individuals also have a worse outcome after these events, including higher mortality rates, and a higher prevalence of unrecognized and untreated risk factors places them at greater likelihood of experiencing these events. Differences such as these arise not only from disparities in access to care and quality of care but also from disparities in awareness and access to knowledge. Disparities in cardiovascular prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes have been documented in a number of publications from the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS),4–6 the Institute of Medicine,7 and the Kaiser Family Foundation,8 and reports of continuing racial and ethnic disparities appear regularly in cardiovascular scientific journals.9,10 If this unacceptable situation fails to be rectified, it is unlikely that the AHA’s 2010 goals or the DHHS Healthy People 2010 goals can be achieved. In the autumn …

An Exploratory Study of Quick Service Restaurants' Changing Menus

Abstract The literature suggests that consumers are expecting additional healthy menu items from quick service restaurants due to the increasing rates at which people are becoming overweight and obese. The current exploratory study analyzes the menu items of ten quick service restaurant chains to determine how many new “healthy” items have been added to menus in 2004 in comparison to 2003. Further analysis, through the use of surveys, determined the types of new menu items, the nutrition/ health claim for each, and how these new healthy menu items have been promoted by five of the ten quick service restaurant chains. Based on the analysis, it was found that on average these chains added 5.3 new healthy menu items in 2004 when compared to 2003. It was also determined that the majority of the new menu items introduced were low calorie and low fat, and that internal promotional techniques were the primary method of marketing. Implications for practitioners and for future research are discussed.