Health on the Restaurant Menu: Foodservice Trends in the U.S.

2011-12-07
Published : Dec-2011

Report Summary

Health on the Restaurant Menu: Foodservice Trends in the U.S. helps foodservice industry participants align their branding and menu development strategies with evolving consumer health perceptions and expectations; the quickly evolving health education landscape; and the effects of nationwide menu regulation.

The report does the following:

1. Identifies drivers and trends that have helped cause the industry to reflect on its role in addressing America’s health.

This helps participants better understand new menu regulations and menu item trends.

2. Analyses health-related menu trends, including salt and added sugar reduction; healthy menu claim trend analysis; “mini” menu item trend analysis; fruit and vegetable menu trend analysis; and health & anti-health menu analysis of specific restaurants.
This helps participants stay on top of menu development.

3. Draws from a variety of industry and academic research to help the restaurant industry gauge the effect and result of menu labeling legislation.
This helps participants frame the impact of menu regulation on industry segments, major chains, and independent restaurant operators.

4. Analyses consumer attitudes toward diet food and health from the perspectives of their healthful propensities; not-so-healthful propensities; and knowledge, money & time.
This helps participants understand shifting consumer health & wellness propensities and respond accordingly.

5. Creates and analyzes four consumer groups, each of which share common health-driven characteristics: Health First, Health Maintainers, Health Endorsers and Carefree Eaters. Each group isolates populations having distinct degrees of food health interest and distinct degrees of restaurant interaction. Data on restaurant frequency, brand usage, and presence of children are included.
This helps industry participants target groups according to their healthful propensities, as well as to their restaurant loyalty, the effect of their having children, and their brand usage.

6. Studies the degree of importance restaurant goers ascribe to various food health attributes as applied to two distinct dining occasions: getting food for a “quick bite” and getting food for a “special occasion.”
This helps participants shape health-driven strategies around occasions for use.
Coverage includes snack and beverage restaurant concepts, limited-service restaurants (QSR and fast casual), and full-service restaurants (family, casual and fine dining).

Table Of Contents

Chapter 1: Executive Summary
Scope and Methodology
Scope of coverage
Methodology
Consumer survey methodology
Menu item analysis
Other resources
Restaurant categories
Definitions
Report synopsis

Chapter 2: Foodservice Health Drivers & Macro-Trends
Insight Capsule
Fast Facts

Chapter 3: Restaurant Cuisine and Menu Trends
Insight Capsule
Fast Facts

Chapter 4: Menu Transparency and Regulation
Insight Capsule
Fast Facts

Chapter 5: Consumer Attitudes Toward Diet, Health & Food
Insight Capsule

Chapter 6: Health-Driven Psychographic Analysis
Insight Capsule

Chapter 7: Food Healthfulness and Dining Occasion
Insight Capsule
Appendix: Obesity Trends: Demographic Analysis

Chapter 2: Foodservice Health Drivers & MacroTrends
Making health a priority
The argument in dollars and cents: $150 billion a year
Obesity rates trending higher
Graph 2-1: Age-Adjusted Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity & Extreme Obesity
Calories trending higher
Long-term calories trend: negative; short-term trend: positive
Graph 2-2: Caloric Intake by Food Group: Number of Calories, 1970-2009
Flour and cereal products the calorie contribution leader
Graph 2-3: Caloric Intake by Food Group: Percentage of Calories, 1970-2009
Snacking trend brings calories with it
A quarter of all calories
More snacking, more calories
No tie to better food choices
Foods contributing the most snack calories
Table 2-1: Contribution of Selected Foods and Beverages to Total Snack Calories
Nutrient analysis reveals caloric skews to alcohol, sugar, and carbs
Graph 2-4: Snacks’ Contributions to Adult Nutrient and Other Food Component Intake
Gender analysis
For men, snacks provide source of fruit
Graph 2-5: Contributions by Snacks and Other Eating Occasions to Intakes of Calories and
MyPyramid Food Groups/Components: Men
For women, more fruit but more sugar
Graph 2-6: Contributions by Snacks and Other Eating Occasions to Intakes of Calories and
MyPyramid Food Groups/Components: Women
Socioeconomic factors shaping obesity trend
Lower incomes = higher obesity rates
Hispanic culture and practices significantly influence obesity perceptions
Burst and bust short-time financial cycle leads to food sharing
In Hispanic communities, feeding children a symbol of nurturing and achievement
Obesity not perceived as negative
Selfperceptions
of diet quality shift
Diet self-perception does not match reality
But change is in the wind
Worsening diet or greater awareness?
Awareness tied to HH income
Restaurant industry growth and the obesity connection
Frequency of restaurant use correlates with negative diet self-perception
Fast food correlation even stronger
Consumers do not associate calorie cost with diet healthfulness
Eating out and calories: 1 meal out a week = 2 extra pounds a year
Impact weighted toward specific food groups
Daypart dependent
Fat, sugar and obesity
Diet and health tied to type of restaurant frequented
Burgers and fries
Sandwich/sub
Full-service
Government and industry initiatives quickly gathering steam
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010
Health professionals’ hopes
MyPlate
HealthierUS School Challenge
Kids LiveWell
Menu item guidelines
Guidelines to join the program
Charging the obese more for healthcare
Penalties to become the new norm?

Chapter 3: Restaurant Cuisine and Menu Trends
Introduction
How to promote health on the menu
Table 3-1: Successful Health and Nutrition Promotion Strategies, 2011
Ditch the added sugar
How much is too much?
Come out, come out, wherever you are!
Hold the salt
Strategy
The cost savings: $32.1 billion?
Restaurants on the hook?
FDA regulation on the horizon?
On the menu: healthy menu claim analysis
Healthy menu items forecast to grow
Menu claims can shape how consumers respond to health
Studies reinforces power of menu placement
Healthy menu item placement: an experiment
Prominence of lower-calorie information and placement next to other choices matters
Make “light” the new norm?
And dump the negative labels!
Healthy claims: inherent health leads the pack
Table 3-2: Top Healthy Claims: Restaurant Penetration by Segment, 2011
Healthy claims: trend leaders
Table 3-3: Top Healthy Claims: Restaurant Penetration, 2007-11
Mini trend tapers
Next step: portion control without labels
A casual phenomenon
Table 3-4: Top “Mini” Appetizers & Entrees: Restaurant Penetration by Segment, 2011
From mini-quiches to mini-crab cakes
Table 3-5: Top “Mini” Appetizers & Entrees: Restaurant Penetration, 2007-11
Mini-desserts: incenting use while limiting food content
A trend with legs
Table 3-6: Top “Mini” Desserts: Restaurant Penetration by Segment, 2011
Infuse the menu with fruit
Why? Health benefits
Why? Consumer interest
Why? Underuse at restaurants
Why? The USDA says so
Why? It’s a trend in motion
Top produce trends
Table 3-7: Top Produce Menu Trends, 2011
Top fruits on the menu
Table 3-8: Top 10 Sides: Restaurant Penetration by Segment, 2011
Top vegetables on the menu
Table 3-9: Top 10 Proteins: Restaurant Penetration by Segment, 2011
What price for health?
Don’t charge me for it
Table 3-10: Paying for Healthy Items
Full-service versus limited-service distinction
Desire for more healthy options
Recession and food choice
Result: strong migration to money-saving strategies
Result: change in restaurant behavior
But is “healthy” really more expensive?
Table 3-11: Natural, Free Range & “Any” Entrée Pricing by Menu Item Type, 2011
Restaurant segment analysis reveals significant price differences
Table 3-12: Natural, Free Range & “Any” Entrée Pricing by Restaurant Segment, 2011
“Natural” QSR menu items do exist; but does natural mean “healthy”?
Table 3-13: “Natural” Menu Items: Quick-Service Restaurants, 2011
Family restaurants follow similar suit
Table 3-14: “Natural” Menu Items: Family Restaurants, 2011
Restaurants hitting health themes
Au Bon Pain gives gluten free face time
Table 3-15: Au Bon Pain Gluten-Free Menu Items, 2011
Fat free, from fast casual to . . . ice cream
Table 3-16: Fat Free Menu Items: Selected Examples, 2011
Sugar free still trying to save desserts
Table 3-17: Golden Corral Sugar-Free Menu Items, 2011
Whole grain, meet pizza and more
Table 3-18: California Pizza Kitchen Whole Grain Menu Items, 2011
Free range: poultry’s domain
Table 3-19: Heartland Café Free Range Menu Items, 2011
Bar fare and upscale dining
Table 3-20: Free Range Menu Items: Selected Examples, 2011
Other menu strategies and introductions
Quick-service restaurants
Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen launches Louisiana Leaux
Boston Market
Family restaurants
Denny’s Fit Fare update
Casual restaurants
Applebee’s beefs up Weight Watchers and “Under 500” menu
Other activity
Antihealth
trends still alive and well
High-fat, high calorie, high sodium dining alive and well across restaurant segments
Kids’ meals on the health watch
McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, KFC and A&W make the list
Table 3-21: Five Most Unhealthful Fast-Food Kids Meals, 2010

Chapter 4: Menu Transparency and Regulation
Introduction
Menu labeling is upon us
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010
Health professionals’ hopes
Rationales for change
More eating out means lower diet quality
And increases weight
Consumers underestimate restaurant meal calories
Kids affected
Eating out frequently lowers diet quality
Larger portions = eating more
Consumers’ healthful menu expectations rising?
Majority of consumers on board with portion size and nutrition labeling
Not effective: why?
King County lessons and learnings
No change in transaction volume or calories per transaction
Increased consumer awareness
Consumer confusion
Health apathy at POS
Website as knowledge supplement
Just not paying attention
A lesson taken from the grocery aisle
So who will use the labels?
Education, education, education
But expect some behavioral change
1 in 6 diners alter eating habits because of calorie information
NPD says calorie information will have little effect on consumer ordering: we disagree
Changes in food choices and spend
Table 4-1: Menu Ordering Behavior, Pre- and Post- Menu Regulation
Fewer calories at Starbucks
Lack of transparency will get restaurants nowhere
Calorie underreporting raises concerns
Restaurants are starting with an “A”
Lack of portion uniformity a culprit?
Menu reformulations: restaurants may follow in food retail’s footsteps
It’s been done already: trans fat
Industry migration to healthier food products
Restaurants ahead of the curve
Subway
Saladworks
Energy Kitchen

Chapter 5: Consumer Attitudes Toward Diet, Health & Food
Introduction
Recession be damned: propensity to health and nutrition is on the upswing
Few have been ordering healthy items
But interest in food health is there
And it’s on the upswing
The upside
The downside
Graph 5-1: Food & Diet Propensities: Healthful Propensities, 2007-11
Thinking more about food content—and acting on it?
Graph 5-2: Food & Diet Propensities: Indulgence & Dieting, 2007-11
The context
Self-care on the upswing
Graph 5-3: Food & Diet Propensities: Knowledge, Money & Time, 2007-11

Chapter 6: HealthDriven
Psychographic Analysis
Meet the psychographic groups
Health First
Table 6-1: Health First Psychographic Group: Key Attitudes & Behaviors
Health Maintainers
Table 6-2: Health Maintainer Psychographic Group: Key Attitudes & Behaviors
Health Endorsers
Table 6-3: Health Endorsers Psychographic Group: Key Attitudes & Behaviors
Carefree Eaters
Table 6-4: Carefree Eater Psychographic Group: Key Attitudes & Behaviors
Laying out the demographics
Table 6-5: Demographic Analysis: Health-Driven Psychographic Groups
Restaurant usage and usage frequency
Table 6-6: Health-Driven Psychographic Groups: Restaurant Usage by Segment Usage
Frequency
Restaurant sub-segment by primary cuisine
Full-service
Table 6-7: Health-Driven Psychographic Groups: Restaurant Usage by Full-Service Restaurant
Segment & Sub-Segment
Limited service
Table 6-8: Health-Driven Psychographic Groups: Restaurant Usage by Limited-Service
Restaurant Segment & Sub-Segment and by Snack and Beverage Restaurant
The Kid Factor
Presence of children
Table 6-9: Health-Driven Psychographic Groups: Segment Restaurant Usage Frequency by Presence and Number of Children
Psychographic groups: Restaurant usage frequency analysis
Among Health First members, kids make a difference
Table 6-10: Health First: Segment Restaurant Usage Frequency by Number of Children
Among Health Maintainers, large households tip the scales
Table 6-11: Health Maintainers: Segment Restaurant Usage Frequency by Number of Children
Fast food health endorsement tied to usage frequency
Table 6-12: Health Endorsers: Segment Restaurant Usage Frequency by Number of Children
Carefree Eating does not translate to increased visits
Table 6-13: Carefree Eaters: Segment Restaurant Usage Frequency by Number of Children
Restaurant brand preferences
Health First: limited-service restaurant preferences
Table 6-14: Health First Psychographic Group: Restaurant Preference by Fast Food Brand
Health First: full-service restaurant preferences
Table 6-15: Health First Psychographic Group: Restaurant Preference by Full-Service >Restaurant Brand
Health Maintainers: limited-service restaurant preferences
Table 6-16: Health Maintainers Psychographic Group: Restaurant Preference by Fast Food Brand
Health Maintainers: full-service restaurant preferences
Table 6-17: Health Maintainers Psychographic Group: Restaurant Preference by Full-Service Restaurant Brand
Health Endorsers: limited-service restaurant preferences
Table 6-18: Health Endorsers Psychographic Group: Restaurant Preference by Fast Food Brand
Health Endorsers: full-service restaurant preferences
Table 6-19: Health Endorsers Psychographic Group: Restaurant Preference by Full-Service Restaurant Brand
Carefree Eaters: limited-service restaurant preferences
Table 6-20: Carefree Eaters Psychographic Group: Restaurant Preference by Fast Food Brand
Carefree Eaters: full-service restaurant preferences
Table 6-21: Carefree Eaters Psychographic Group: Restaurant Preference by Full-Service Restaurant Brand

Chapter 7: Food Healthfulness and Dining Occasion
Overview
Food health attribute analysis: getting a quick bite vs. special occasion dining
Fruits and vegetables and health of highest importance
But a variety of food health attributes distinguished by eating occasion
Graph 7-1: Health Attribute Ratings: Quick Bite versus Special Occasion
Naturally, women ascribe restaurant food attributes with greater importance
But not across the board
Women to drive restaurant nutrition change?
Table 7-1: Health Attribute Ratings by Gender: Quick Bite versus Special Occasion
Age analysis
Table 7-2: Health Attribute Ratings by Age Bracket: Special Occasion
Table 7-3: Health Attribute Ratings by Age Bracket: Quick Bite
HH income analysis
Table 7-4: Health Attribute Ratings by HH Income: Special Occasion
Table 7-5: Health Attribute Ratings by HH Income: Quick Bite
Race/ethnicity analysis
Table 7-6: Health Attribute Ratings by Race/Ethnicity: Special Occasion
Table 7-7: Health Attribute Ratings by Race/Ethnicity: Quick Bite
Appendix: Obesity Trends: Demographic Analysis
Introduction
Obesity and overweight rates for men and women
Graph 8-1: Age-Adjusted Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among U.S. Adults
Age 20-74 Years: By Gender
Racial/ethnic differences
Graph 8-2: Age-Adjusted Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among U.S. Adults
Age 20-74: By Race/Ethnicity
Children
Graph 8-3: Obesity among U.S. Children: By Age Group
Significant regional disparities
Graph 8-4: Percentage of Obese Adults: By U.S. State, 2010
A more granular regional perspective
Graph 8-5: Percentage of Obese Adults: By U.S. County, 2007-08

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