Fast-food Experts Analyze 5,427 Kids' Meals--Only 33 are Healthful

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I recently came across an article that had an alarming title and it caught my eye. Analysts from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity analyzed the menu offerings from 18 fast-food chains. After considering all of the possible combinations that could be made from main dishes, sides, and drinks, the analysts came up with 5,427 possible meals that could be made from these combinations. The good news was that 11 out of 12 of the restaurants analyzed had at least one option that was considered “healthy.” For example, this might be sliced apples, a fruit cup, salads, etc. Also, a little over three-quarters of the restaurants offered healthier drink choices, such as milk, juice or bottled water. The Yale analysts also found that fast-food restaurants had decreased their commercials targeting younger children, and their ads for teens often featured healthier food items.
While the beginning of the article gave some positive findings, the rest of the article was full of bad news with regards to fast-food and kids’ meals. The analysts found that only 33 of the possible 5,427 meals that could be served met the recommended nutrition guidelines set by the Institute of Medicine. That means that only 1% of meal offerings meet the guidelines. This is alarming because according to a 2012 study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, reports show that one-third of children and 41% of teenagers eat fast food every day. These fast food meals are likely to greatly increase their daily caloric intakes. The prevalence of eating out is probably not going to change, so restaurants need to continue to work on making healthier menus for children and teens.

List of restaurants that were used: Arby’s, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Cici’s Pizza, Dairy Queen, Domino’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Jack in the Box, KFC, Little Caesars, McDonald’s, Panera Bread, Pizza Hut, Sonic, Starbucks, Subway, Taco Bell and Wendy’s

Link to article:
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-fast-food-kids-meals-20131105,0,2460434.story#axzz2jsKY2ylv
-AW

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