A new survey reveals that a startling number of Fast Food restaurants are still serving unhealthy beverages and side dishes to kids – even after a flurry of high-profile commitments to offer healthier options with kids’ meals. And the biggest brands are the biggest prevaricators.
McDonald’s own suggestion for a healthier Kids Meal. But the Fries are still fried and
the Burger is still greasy. But the Apples and Milk are both better ideas.
What they did…
The study surveyed approximately 800 parents in 2010, 2013, and 2016 about what they ordered for their 2- to 11-year-old children in the past week from one of the top four fast-food restaurants. Sixty-one percent of those surveyed were moms aged 25-40, and most had two or more children aged 2-11 years.
What they found…
The survey by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut shows that the four largest restaurant chains – McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Subway – are still serving children Fries and Sugary Beverages because many fast-food restaurants still automatically provide these foods with kids’ meal orders, and continue to widely promote their unhealthy options inside the restaurants on menu boards and signs. Healthier kids’ meal sides and drinks available include Fruit and Yogurt and 100 percent Juice, Low-fat Milk, and Water. (But let’s not forget that those juices can contain a large amount of Sugar.)
“While most fast-food restaurants do have healthier kids’ meal Drinks and Sides available, many do little to make parents aware of the healthier options or to encourage parents to choose the healthier options instead of unhealthy ones. If restaurants are serious about children’s health, they will make the healthiest choice the easiest choice for parents and the most appealing choice for children,” says Jennifer Harris, Director of Marketing Initiatives for the UConn Rudd Center, and lead author of the report.
The takeaway…
Since 2010, the four largest fast-food restaurant chains have pledged to offer healthier drinks and side options in kids’ meals, and not list sugary soda as a kids’ meal option on menu boards. A previous UConn Rudd Center study conducted in 2016 found wide variation in how well individual restaurant locations implemented those commitments.
At the same time, Fast Food dining has increased significantly, as well. A 2016 survey of Fast Food dining habits showed that families had ordered either lunch or dinner for their child in the past week at one of the four largest chains, up from 79 percent in 2010.
“We know that fast food offers parents a convenient, affordable option for feeding their families. But restaurants have a responsibility to make these affordable, convenient foods healthier. Most fast-food meals — even kids’ meals — have more Fat, Sugar, and Sodium than children need, and eating this kind of unhealthy food can have negative health consequences over time, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health issues,” Harris says.
My take…
It’s all just a publicity exercise by the chains to appear to respond to the poublic’s and regulators’ calls for healthier Fast Food. The restaurants have made their pledges and made available the promised ‘healthier options’, but they still offer the unhealthy options, which are easier and cheaper for parents to order.
To really make a difference in kids’ Fast Food eating habits regulators must follow the example of jurisdictions such as Louisville, KY, and Baltimore, MD, which have recently passed laws requiring restaurants to serve healthier options for Drinks and Sides as the default; that is, parent’s must specifically request that their kids get Sugary Drinks and unhealthy Sides, if that’s what they really want. Given this kind of policy and the habits it will instill in kids toward Fast Food dining, it could lead to a lifelong tendency toward choosing healthier food options when dining out.
~ Maggie J.