Nutritional Information in the Fast Food Sector - Essay Example

Display of nutritional information in the fast food sector Introduction Declining health conditions due to unhealthy food habits are a rising concern. The numbers of individuals who suffer from obesity, poor heart conditions and diabetes have increased alarmingly all across the globe. Such health issues are not only common amongst elders but also the youngsters. High consumption of fast food, inactive lifestyle, hectic work life and lack of health related awareness are considered to be the main reasons behind the deteriorating health conditions. Since fast food is easily and quickly available at lower prices than restaurant food, most individuals prefer having it. However most individuals are not aware of the health hazards which regular fast food consumption may cause. Although it is not possible to completely eradicate fast food, it is important to reduce its consumption and make people aware of its health implications. Fast food chains however hesitate to display nutritional information as they fear it may cause losing consumers. This practice further impacts food choice and causes chronic health conditions. Aim objectives and research question The current dissertation aims to analyze the impact of displaying nutritional information on the fast food items served by McDonalds and Subway have a potential impact on customer behaviour. The objectives of the research are: 1) To investigate the background and the importance of public health awareness and responsibilities through relevant literature and practices. 2) To explore literature related to consumer behaviour and nutritional value of food items of McDonalds and subway.  3) To identify key factors related to product knowledge and consumer choice. 4) To examine the level of calorific and nutritional information on the display menus of McDonalds and Subway and dishes selected.  Research questions: 1) What links can be identified between product knowledge and product selection? 2) How widespread is the practice of publishing nutritional and calorific value in McDonalds, burger king and subway? 3) What impact does this information have on the purchase of menu items by consumers in McDonald, burger king and subway?  4) Would calorific information display be a strategy or a threat to McDonald, burger king and subway? Literature review According to the National Institute of health Statistics of the U.S (2002), the proportion of obese adults have grown from 23% to 31%. A number of fast food chains which are stated to be healthy also have grown multiple folds in the last decade. Many health researchers such as Heini and Weinsier (1997) have opined that individuals at present burn fewer calories as compared to earlier times due to the rapid growth of technology. Although the number of leisure activities are seen to rise steadily, the time spend by individuals in these activities has been low. Individuals do not indulge in as much physical activity as per their calorie intake (Chandon, Morwitz and Reinartz, 2005). Moreover, the health claims made by fast food chain restaurants misdirect consumers. According to Mussweiler (2003) the nutritional facts stated by many fast food chains are seen to be inaccurate due to which more orders gets placed. Consumers get misdirected by the manner in which fast food chains display the calorific information of different food items (Ledikwe, Julia and Barbara, 2005). The attitude of consumers towards such information is also seen to remain casual to a very large extent. The presence of a few vegetables or fruit items in the food gets overestimated by consumers and they fall under the assumption that the food they are consuming is healthy (Balasubramanian and Cole, 2002). Additionally, consumers are not aware of the net amount of energy their body requires each day and therefore end up over eating. According to Chandon and Wansink (2006) measuring the impact of accurate labelling on consumer purchase behaviour is highly complex. In some studies it is observed that providing consumers with the right calorie information has resulted in the reduction of their net fast food intake and many individuals shifted to healthier meals. On the other hand it was observed in some studies that there wasn’t any potential difference in the calorie intake of individuals even after they were provided with suitable nutritional information (Witkowski, 2007). This was seen to be especially true in the case of men, whereas women displayed a lower amount of calorie intake when they were provided with nutritional facts. The research conducted by Okada (2005) states that when the nutritional information of food items is stated on menu cards, consumers pay more attention and mainly order those food which are lower in calorie. Consumers are largely seen to pay closer attention to certain macronutrient energy facts such as fat and cholesterol. If these are stated to be high, most consumers prefer not to have the food item (Nielsen and Popkin, 2003). In order to misguide consumers and create confusion regarding the actual calorific information, many brands display nutritional facts based on a smaller proportion of quantity such as hundred grams of net food item. As a result consumers are not able to accurately calculate the net amount of calorie they intake and underestimate the same (Berry, Seiders and Hergenroeder, 2006). Even though the consumer benefits of displaying nutritional information are high, most fast food restaurants avoid the same. They consider that such a display would increase calorie consciousness amongst consumers and resist them from consuming fast food. As a result the current market craze which fast food restaurant chains have been able to generate would reduce significantly. Ramanathan and Williams (2007) in their studies have suggested that if fast food chains start displaying nutritional information of the food they serve, it would cause them to launch healthier food items. They might reformulate the manner in which their current snacks are made (Hill, et al., 2003). The mandatory display of nutritional facts for packaged food has caused many packaged food manufacturing firms to change many of their ingredients and introduce healthier contents. Even those packaged food firms which do not change their ingredients have not experienced much difference in their sales (Grier, et al., 2007). This suggests that the overall health awareness amongst consumers regarding calories and the impact of consuming extra calories is adequately low. Even though a large segment of the population is seen to remain negligent of their food habits, there has been a rising demand for fast food restaurants to introduce nutritional information on their menus (Geyskens, et al., 2007). However, not all consumers determine their food intake habits on the basis of calorific information. Consumers, who are highly conscious of their food intake habits, are seen to remain more conscious of nutritional information displayed on packaged food products (Talbot, Fleg and Metter, 2003). The increasing reliance upon the fast food has necessitated the incorporation of providing consumers with nutritional information. Researchers who have conducted studies upon the subject matter of increasing health awareness have found that there exists a deep relationship between fast food intake and the busy life schedule of individuals (Chandon and Wansink, 2007). Since fast food can easily be accessed at any time form any place, it becomes a natural choice for most consumers. The restaurant business, which comparatively serves healthier food options, has also been adequately impacted due to the rise in the fast food chains (Balasubramanian and Cole, 2002). Moreover many fast food consumers are not willing to go through the nutritional facts even if they are stated on the menu cards as they consider it to be a waste of time and they want their order to be placed quickly (Baumeister, 2002). Moreover, many consumers do not understand how to measure the calories they consume and what those values mean. Hence most researchers suggest that even if nutritional information is provided by fast food chains, it would have lower impact on the regular consumers of fast food. The change in attitude towards fast food consumption requires coming from within the fast food sector itself. They must consider serving healthier option of food and snacks (Andrews, Scot and Richard, 2000). Healthier and less calorific food intake must be encouraged from within the fast food sector itself. Also, considering the overall negative impacts of fast food and its increase in its consumption, it is essential to generate mass awareness program in respect of fast food consumption. Health institutes, schools, colleges and companies must encourage the promotion of such health campaigns (Garretson and Scot, 2000). Consumers must be informed that fast food is only a leisure food and must be consumed once in a while only and not on a regular basis. Labelling and providing information regarding fast food may then have a greater impact upon consumer purchase behaviour. In the studies conducted by Seiders and Petty (2004) it is observed that consumers use nutritional information differently. Many at times consumers base their consumption decision on their past experience and neglect nutritional information. Income level and knowledge of consumers are also seen to impact the manner in which consumers purchase food. Therefore it can be stated that effects of labelling is not uniform and may differ from person to person. In general the effects of labelling on consumer purchase behaviour are seen to be differentiated where researchers have provided diverse results based upon the category and characteristics of investigation (Garretson and Burton, 2000). There also exists insufficient literature which thoroughly analyses the implications of providing nutritional information of fast food items. Hence it is essential to conduct deeper studies in this subject matter. Moreover the calorific content in food items in many fast food chains has reduced over the years pertaining to the policies implemented by the food control and regulatory authorities (Wansink and Huckabee, 2005). Methodology In the current paper both primary and secondary data have been utilized. Primary data has been collected by conducting a questionnaire survey. The respondents of the survey were fast food restaurant employees and general consumers of fast food selected from the general public. Such a population was selected as it is easier to approach them and obtain first hand information. The sample size selected for the research was 100. The stratified sampling technique has been implemented as the population consists of respondents belonging to different categories. In stratified sampling once the respondent categories have been identified, it is essential to select sufficient number of respondents from each category. This selection can either be done randomly or specifically based upon the type of information provided by the respondents. The information obtained from the selected questionnaires is then studied in depth to obtain relevant findings and reach adequate conclusions. Secondary data collection technique incorporates collecting information from different journals, books and scholarly publications regarding the subject matter of study. Such data facilitates the researcher to obtain elaborate information and gain necessary directions of research. The paper mainly makes use of the qualitative research technique (Kumar and Phrommathed, 2005; Berg and Lune, 2004). Time plan The time plan for the current research paper over a period of 6 months is as follows: Topic November December January February March April Preparation and submission of Research proposal (10th November) 1st meeting with supervisor Preparation of first draft Submission of first draft Incorporating changes from the feedback of first draft 2nd meeting with supervisor Submission of second draft Incorporating changes from the feedback of second draft 3rd meeting with supervisor Working on the final draft Submission of the final project Reference list Andrews, J. 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