An Investigation into Healthy Options at Fast Foods Outlets - Literature review Example

An Investigation into healthy options at fast foods outlets By Course Lecturer College Date Table of Contents Background 3 Problem statement 4 Justification 4 Literature Review 5 Methodology 7 Findings 7 Table 4.1 Frequency of eating at a fast food outlet 7 Conclusion 10 References 11 List of figures List of tables Background This section will review literature on health eating and fast food outlets as well as present the problem, research objective and justification. Healthy eating refers to consumption of the appropriate quantities of a variety of foods that maintain good health of the body. There variety of foods include proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fats and water. Excessive consumption of one variety or its inadequate consumption can lead to poor health. Hence, a balanced diet is crucial for maintenance of optimal body health (Veitch, 2012, p. 4). Fast food outlets are quick-service restaurants that are strategically located to provide quick-serve meals. The top reasons why people eat at fast foods outlets are reported as cheap pricing of their foods, attractive taste of foods, being too busy to cook or travel to a reasonable hotel and that they provide a forum for social gatherings in the midst of stressful schedules. College people were likely to say they do not like to cook. The reasons can be summarised as convenience (Hitti, 2008). Fast food outlets are increasingly available in in super markets and along busy streets. Healthy food is essential for the wellbeing of individuals and the country. A study that was published in preventing Chronic Disease Journal established that a third of the people eating in fast food outlets were obese due to high salt, fat and calorie in the fast foods. This negative publicity coupled with customer demands have led to introduction of healthy options in fast food outlets. A survey done by National Restaurant Association in 2013 revealed majority of fast food customers opted for healthier fast foods than they did in the previous two years. Hence, fast food restaurants competed to launch healthier food menu options that were demanded by customers (Jeong, 2015, pp. 12–17; Mallya, 2013, p. 7; ODPHP, 2015, p. 3; Quicbite Magazine, 2016). Problem statement Healthy eating is an emerging trend within food industry and fast food outlets specifically that is marred by inadequate nutrition information. The competition to provide fast foods to meet clients’ demand has made fast food restaurants to label and market several menu options as healthy foods (Anzman-Frasca et al., 2014). However, it is not known whether those options are truly healthy meals as the definition of a balanced diet and healthy eating. This study aimed to investigate if the healthy foods offered at fast food outlets were healthy choices. The research question was, are the healthy foods options offered at fast food outlets’ menu heathy choices? Justification The findings of this study were useful in understanding customers’ perspectives of healthy food options in the Menu. The researcher used the findings to communicate to other researchers in the same topic hence participate in the development of knowledge about healthy foods in fast food outlets. Literature Review This chapter will review literature on healthy eating, comparison of healthy options against other menu options in the fast food outlets and comparison of the popularity of healthy options compared to other options in fast food outlets’ menu. The British Nutrition Foundation recognized that the public had insufficient information about healthy eating due to conflicting information that was making the public get confused. No food contains a balanced variety of nutrients except the breast milk. Healthy eating refers to eating of balanced nutrients over time that provide the right amount of energy according to the British Nutrition Foundation (British Nutrition Foundation, 2016, p. 1). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention share the same description of healthy eating with the British Nutrition Foundation. The Dietary Guidelines for America 2010 described a healthy eating plan as one that had low saturation fats, was within individual calorie needs, included lean meats such as fish and one that emphasized fruits, whole grains, low fat milk and vegetables (Centers for Disease Control and prevention, 2015). The Australian Dietary Guidelines have provided advice on what is healthy eating. It has also recommended dietary patterns for various categories of Australians such as children, adolescents, adults and older people. Australia dietary guidelines equates healthy eating as eating variety of nutritious foods as described by Dietary Guidelines for America (2010) and British Nutrition Foundation. However the Australian Dietary Guidelines added drinking of plenty water as an additional requirement to healthy eating (NHMRC, 2013). Healthy eating in quick-serve restaurants is increasing as more people are ordering low calories meals. Health eating options have increased variety of nutrients, low fat and ow calories compared to other meals. Consumption of healthy meals in restaurants has improved wellbeing to the fast foods customers Research has established an increasing trend in consumption of healthy fast foods. An article published by QuickBite Magazine last month revealed main course salads and vegetarian dishes have increased in popularity over burgers and other fast foods. Vegan dishes increased popularity in 21% compared to last year. Gluten free and wheat free food options have increased in demand and uptake. Beef burgers demand is reported to have declined. However, despite the rise the consumption of healthy options, beef burgers, chicken burgers and pizzas remain the top most frequently ordered options in fast foods (Paddock, 2011, p. 5; Quicbite Magazine, 2016, p. 1). A report by New Mexico Restaurant Association revealed there was increasing popularity of healthy option on the Menus. It cautions restaurants to increase availability of healthy options in their menu. It further advised them to increase fruits and vegetables in their meals, add non-processed ingredients, create meatless meals and reduce their plate sizes. An Australian dietician, Debbie Iles observed that many restaurants advertised healthy options and decided to find out availability of healthy foods in Australian Restaurants. Debbie observed that although food outlets had advertised for healthy meals, they were not healthy and the real healthy meals were not easily available in fast food outlets (Iles, 2010, p. 1; Martinez, 2016; Westcott, 2014, pp. 1–3). Westcott (2014) finds that the fast food market in Australia was getting healthy due to increased government campaigns against obesity. Customers have been pushing restaurants to make healthier options. The juice bars and salad bars were on increase while demand for dishes such as green curry and teriyaki salmon were on the rise. Methodology This was a cross-sectional survey, which relied on questionnaire guided interview as the primary source of data. Respondents were interviewed. Cross-section studies are aimed to evaluate the status of an issue as at a particular time. Mixed open and close-ended questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 22. The presentation of the findings was done in form of narratives, tables and charts. Findings This section presents study findings after analysis. Five responses were compiled and analysed. 60% of the respondents (3) were female while 40% (2) were male. 40 % of respondents (2) age was between 40-70 years while 60% (3) of the respondents age was 20-25 years. When asked how often they eat at a fast food within a fortnight, 40% (2) of the respondents reported they eat twice as shown in the table below Table 4.1 Frequency of eating at a fast food outlet Frequency of eating Frequency of response Percent Once 1 20 Twice 2 40 4-6 times 1 20 6 times 1 20 Respondents were asked to select the fast food outlets that they frequented, KFC and Subway were the most popular and were equally popular as shown in figure 4.1 below. Figure 4.1 most frequented fast food outlets Majority of the respondents believed fast food outlets were selling both heathy and unhealthy foods to balance the needs the diversified needs of their customers. 20 % (1) of the respondents believed that food outlets sold healthy foods although it was doubted whether they foods were healthy. 20 % (1) of the respondents said that fast food outlets usually provided unhealthy foods. When asked whether the ‘healthy” section of the fast food outlet was actually healthy, 80 % (4) said they were not healthy while 20% (1) did not respond to the question. Reasons given on why the food was unhealthy included high calories, food that was not fresh and the most frequent reason was high salt and sugar. It was also reported that the food described as healthy was not organic. All the respondents agreed that food quality improved in the last five years. There is increased availability of healthier options than five years ago. 60 % of the respondents said the healthy options were as popular as the other options in the food menu while 40% said they were not. The reasons for increasing popularity was reported as increased advertisement of healthy eating. The reasons why heathy options were not as popular as other options in the menu included lack of taste in healthy options and that people go to fast food outlets purposely to eat food that they do not eat in their homes. Respondents were asked what they would choose between a burger and a salad in a food outlet. 80% of the respondents replied they would take a burger because it was more “filling”, it had a better taste, the quality of a salad was dismal and that they ate salads and vegetables at home. 20%(1) who chose salad because it was the healthiest option possible. Figure 4.2 Choice between a burger and a salad in a fast food outlet among respondents Conclusion The research established that majority of respondents believed fast food outlets were selling both heathy and unhealthy foods to balance the needs the diversified needs of their customers. However almost all respondents (80 %) said the healthy options in menu were not healthy due to poor quality, had imbalanced nutrients and imbalanced calories. All the respondents agreed that food quality improved in the last five years and 60 % of the respondents said the healthy options were as popular as the other options in the food menu. Surprisingly, 80% of the respondents replied they would take a burger and not a salad in a food outlet owing to poor quality of salads in fast foods and that they ate respondents in their homes. References Anzman-Frasca, S., Dawes, F., Sliwa, S., Dolan, P.R., Nelson, M.E., Washburn, K., Economos, C.D., 2014. Healthier side dishes at restaurants: an analysis of children’s perspectives, menu content, and energy impacts. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. 11, 81. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-11-81 British Nutrition Foundation, 2016. A healthy, varied diet [WWW Document]. URL https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/healthyeating/healthyvarieddiet.html (accessed 8.7.16). Centers for Disease Control and prevention, 2015. Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight | Healthy Weight | CDC [WWW Document]. URL https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/ (accessed 8.7.16). Hitti, M., 2008. Top 11 Reasons for Fast Food’s Popularity [WWW Document]. URL http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20081202/top-11-reasons-for-fast-foods-popularity (accessed 8.7.16). Iles, D., 2010. The best and worst takeaway [WWW Document]. Aust. Healthy Food Guide. URL http://www.healthyfoodguide.com.au/articles/2010/december/best-and-worst-takeaway (accessed 8.7.16). Jeong, E., 2015. Restaurant Customers’ Healthy Menu Consumption Intention: An Investigation on Motives, Barriers, and Restaurant Environmental Factors. Theses Diss. Available ProQuest 1–146. Mallya, R., 2013. Fast-Foods -Journey from Junk to Healthy Foods [WWW Document]. URL https://www.academia.edu/9410994/Fast-Foods_-Journey_from_Junk_to_Healthy_Foods (accessed 8.7.16). Martinez, S., 2016. Bringing Healthy Food into Your Menu [WWW Document]. NMRA. URL https://www.nmrestaurants.org/bring-healthy-food-into-your-menu/ (accessed 8.7.16). NHMRC, 2013. Australian Dietary Guidelines. ODPHP, 2015. 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans - health.gov [WWW Document]. URL https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/ (accessed 8.7.16). Paddock, C., 2011. Healthy Restaurant Eating: Is The Tide Turning In Fast Foods? [WWW Document]. Med. News Today. URL http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232364.php (accessed 8.7.16). Quicbite Magazine, 2016. Healthy dishes growing in popularity on menus [WWW Document]. URL http://quickbitemagazine.co.uk/news/article/healthy-dishes-growing-in-popularity-on-menus (accessed 8.7.16). Veitch, C., 2012. A Balanced Diet. Raintree. Westcott, B., 2014. Australia’s fast-food market is getting smaller, healthier and more diverse [WWW Document]. Canberra Times. URL http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/australias-fastfood-market-is-getting-smaller-healthier-and-more-diverse-20140501-zr2j7.html (accessed 8.7.16). Read More