The number of US restaurants labelling menu items as 'healthy' has grown 65 per cent in 12 months, according to Mintel Menu Insights.
Many restaurants are acting on recent recommendations from the nation's Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), which calls for healthier menus.
Menus around the US are in the process of getting a makeover. The new health care bill will require all restaurants, with 20 or more locations, to include calorie counts on menus, menu boards and drive-throughs.
According to Mintel's latest research, more than 60 per cent of restaurant-goers think restaurants should post nutritional information on menus, and two in five (44 per cent) think federal or local governments should facilitate such actions.
The DGAC recommendations also include specific instructions for children’s menus, urging restaurants to include a focus on children, as “prevention of obesity in childhood is the single most powerful public health approach to combating America’s obesity epidemic.”
The 10 per cent increase in menu items that contain fruits or vegetables between Q2 2007 and Q2 2010 reported by Mintel Menu Insights is a start, but restaurants still have a way to go.
“Restaurants should start considering how they’re going to make kids’ menus healthier,” says Eric Giandelone, director of foodservice research at Mintel. “It’s important to get feedback from both parents and kids to provide a healthy balance on the menu that kids will want to eat and parents will approve of.”
Adults need their fruits and veggies just as much as children do and according to the DGAC, menus should provide it. Mintel research found that among restaurant-goers who say they’re eating more healthfully when dining out, more than half are doing so by including more fruits and vegetables. There has also been a 12 per cent increase in menu items that were labeled as vegetarian between Q2 2007 and Q2 2010.
“Healthy menu development opportunity exists in providing vegetable and seafood-based appetisers, soups, salads and entrees,” notes Giandelone. “An added bonus in offering these ingredients is if prepared thoughtfully, they will naturally cut down on the fat and calories of a menu item, making it a more favorable choice for their patrons.
“Menu transparency will allow consumers to have control over their food decisions with a complete understanding of what they’re eating. However, getting people to eat healthier requires more than just posting calories or adding healthy options to the menu…the food also has to taste good.”
When going out for dinner, nearly 60 per cent of survey respondents say they want something that tastes great and 23 per cent claim to want to eat a healthy meal. Only 14 per cent of diners say they are never interested in ordering a healthy restaurant meal.
Nearly half of survey respondents report eating healthier in restaurants in the past year and people have different methods for doing so. Reducing fat (67 per cent) leads the way in strategies for adopting healthier eating habits at restaurants, followed by eating more fruits and vegetables (52 per cent). Meanwhile, 49 per cent of patrons are cutting calories by simply ordering less food.
“From a restaurant’s perspective, there is a concern that healthy menu items may not sell, but there is also a danger to having a calorie-laden menu when the calorie count law starts taking effect,” adds Giandelone. “There may be some initial consumer shock at the calorie counts and chains may have to start listing lower-calorie options or smaller portion sizes to help diffuse this unpleasant surprise.”