264912 Fast food restaurant menu offerings score poorly in relation to dietary guidance

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM

Sharon Kirkpatrick, PhD, RD , Applied Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Jill Reedy, PhD, RD , Applied Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Jennifer L. Harris, PhD, MBA , Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Punam Ohri-Vachaspati, PhD, RD , School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
Susan Krebs-Smith, PhD, RD , Applied Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Introduction: Fast food restaurants are a major source of food away from home and are generally not considered to be supportive of healthy eating. This study was undertaken to assess the congruence between menu offerings at five popular fast food restaurants and multiple dimensions of dietary guidance as well as overall diet quality.

Methods: Menu offerings, as posted on restaurant websites in 2010, were evaluated with the Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005), reflecting the dietary guidelines then in effect. Menu items were coded using the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies and the MyPyramid Equivalents Database, and HEI-2005 scores were calculated.

Results: Each restaurant's full menu scored 50 points or less out of a possible 100 points on the HEI-2005: Wendy's (50), Subway (49), McDonalds (46), Burger King (45), and Taco Bell (41). The HEI-2005 components generally receiving the lowest scores were whole fruit, dark-green and orange vegetables and legumes, whole grains, and sodium. The incongruence between dietary recommendations and foods and beverages marketed on budget/value and kids' menus was also striking. Three restaurant chains marketed subsets of their menu items as ‘healthy'; these offerings received scores that were on average 16 points higher than the scores for the full menus.

Discussion: The incompatibility of fast food restaurant offerings with dietary guidance is worrisome in light of increasing away-from-home eating, aggressive marketing practices aimed at children and youth, and the disproportionate concentration of fast food restaurants in relation to other food sources in low-income and minority neighborhoods.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
1. Compare the nutritional quality of the food served by the top fast food companies with what experts recommend.

Keywords: Food and Nutrition, Child/Adolescent

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have extensive experience with research and practice related to public policy, dietary guidance, food environments, and disparities.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.