Food Product Design: Concepts - August 2005 - Developing Healthful Fast Foods

August 2005

Developing Healthful Fast Foods

By Nancy BackasContributing Editor

For more than two decades now, the quick-service industry has endeavored to include healthful items on menus. Often, those products have failed to grab much of an audience and frequently drifted into obscurity. At the same time, many portion sizes have increased and many items now are laden with more fat and calories.

Today, the United States has more obese people than ever before, and many factors have contributed to this increase. Often, consumer groups like to blame the restaurant industry and have responded by such actions as demanding menu changes and pushing for legislation to require restaurants to put nutrition information on menus. However, the so-called health crisis demands more-complex solutions than simply changing restaurant menus -- in part because people are complex.

Plenty of restaurateurs say that people eat out to treat themselves and don't want reminders when they are eating things that are not good for them. Nevertheless, the restaurant industry has taken a proactive stance hoping that if the restaurant industry make moves to improve menus and provide nutritional information voluntarily, legislation won't be necessary.

But just what is healthful food today, and how does the quick-service industry adapt and modify menus to please patrons, the watchdogs and the bottom line?

Menu for health The definition of healthful food has changed over the years -- even just over the last year -- and it continues to change. Every five years, the government comes out with new Dietary Guidelines, just in time to confuse consumers even more.

For the last two years, the low-carb craze reigned -- a fad that now is fading but one the food industry quickly jumped on. What do the new food guidelines and nutritionists say?

Basically, they recommend the middle ground and realize that a balanced diet is just that -- balanced -- and that, in the long run, calories in equal calories out. Exercise is, for the first time, included in the Dietary Guidelines' recommendations. The major dietary changes recommended include: 3 servings of whole grains, 3 dairy foods and anywhere from 5 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day to meet recommended daily intakes. The guidelines also emphasize the importance of consuming polyunsaturated fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids twice a week and moderating intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates.

The quick-service industry actually has been quick to address these new guidelines, adding many new items to the menu. Restaurant Research, Farfield, CT, reports that products deemed "healthy" accounted for 18% of all quick-service promotions in 2004, an increase of 5% over 2003. The study included 15 of the major pizza, sandwich, chicken and burger chains.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) concedes that quick-service restaurants have taken positive steps, but that they still have a way to go. In Jan. 2005, CSPI released guidelines calling on restaurants and food manufacturers to voluntarily stop marketing high-sugar and high-sodium foods and drinks, as well as foods that are high in saturated fat and trans fat. The CSPI also wants to see marketers include foods with positive nutritional benefits, such as those found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

And, because consumers actually are looking for quick-service restaurants to help them manage their eating, not just as special-occasion places, they are more likely than ever before to evaluate restaurants partly on the availability of nutritious foods, according to the "Quick-Track" research conducted by Sandelman & Associates, Villa Park, CA.

The potential for new food-product development is enormous, but the kind of foods that will sell in quick-service markets is an ongoing study.

Don't call it "health food" Probably the best example of a "healthy" food initiative that works is Subway, Doctor's Associates Inc., Milford, CT. The restaurant's spokesperson, Jared Fogle, who lost weight eating the sandwiches, is now very familiar to Americans. For several years now, the sandwich shop has offered a range of healthy menu options, including its "7 under 6" menu items featuring seven sub sandwiches with 6 grams of fat or less. Why has it worked? The sandwiches were healthful to begin with, and Subway simply decided to promote that aspect.

"Products work when they aren't labeled healthy," says Kyle Shaddix, C.C.C., M.S., R.D. "Put 'lean' in the name of a menu item, like McDonald's did with the 'McLean burger,' and people don't want to buy it. I think a lot of restaurant chains want to get the credit for making the effort--but it's not really helping the health of our nation."

In a seminar given during the National Restaurant Association (NRA) convention in Chicago in May 2005, Shaddix outlined what healthy means today and how quick-service and fast-casual restaurants are defining these healthful aspects on menus. He defines healthy food as encompassing a wide variety of elements: portion size, whole grains (i.e., fiber), organic labeling, low carbohydrates, trans-fat-free, fruit, and functional and/or fortified food. He also takes into consideration kids' meals as well as childhood obesity and exercise.

One of the things for which the restaurant industry has been most criticized is portion size. It's a tough issue because, in the United States, we define getting more for our money as better. "We look at value for the money versus value for the health," Shaddix says. "When some people get a 'right-sized' portion of food, they think they are being cheated. Ruby Tuesday shrunk the portion sizes and got a lot of criticism from its patrons, so they are back to their regular sizes. Ultimately, it's all about money. We need a culture shift."

Nevertheless, some restaurants have sized down and won. Metairie, LA- based Ruth's Chris Steak House offers smaller cuts of beef, Au Bon Pain, based in Boston, offers smaller wraps and half sandwiches, and Orlando, FL-based Red Lobster has scaled back its all-you-can-eat buffet. Quick-service restaurants have been slower to jump on this idea, but for some time now adults have been ordering kids' meals to get the smaller portion size.

Adding whole grains to the menu is something many sandwich shops have instituted. Arby's, LLC, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches, Elgin, IL, and Subway, for example, offer whole-grain bread as an option. Boulder, CO-based Noodles & Company and Ruby Tuesday, Maryville, TN, now have whole-wheat fettuccine on the menu. While not everyone may clamor for whole-grain items, offering the option is a winning proposition. Sometimes consumers can have it both ways, too. Consider Omaha, NE-based ConAgra Foods, Inc.'s recently released multigrain bread; it looks and acts like white bread making it an easy substitute for a better BLT. There's no reason why popular ethnic dishes like Middle Eastern tabbouleh, made with bulgur wheat, or brown-rice as an alternative to white rice in Asian and Mexican dishes, might not fly in some quick-service settings.

Low-carb was all the rage last year, but has lost its steam. Many restaurants still have low-carb options on the menu, but consumers in general are moving away from the more-strict Atkins-style diets and toward a more-moderate South-Beach-Diet approach or an even more-balanced Weight-Watchers diet that encourages consumption of nutrient-dense food and foods with high fiber content and lower fat content. Still, the low-carb options have a place, and do help restaurant patrons cut down on overall calories. Additionally, the low-carb options can be good for diabetics.

Organic and "natural" labels are also undergoing a redefinition. Many organic-food purists are moving away from the word organic on the label because they are not satisfied with the government definition of the term, deeming it too broad. Instead, they want foods that qualify to fall under a "biodynamic" (part of a complete ecosystem) label, or under a new moniker, "Tairwá," derived from the French concept of terroir widely associated with wine that means "essence of the land."

Other than the smaller, specialty fast-food chains and Denver-based Chipotle Mexican Grill (that serves organically produced pork and organic beans, with more products to come), organic foods are not a large segment of the quick-service market, although some school districts have added organic products. Seattle schools serve organic fruits and vegetables and the San Diego school district offer organic hot dogs. "Natural" labels are even more nebulous in meaning, usually implying minimal processing. But country-of-origin labels, while unlikely to be legislated soon, can be a good marketing tool.

Fast fare for healthy kids Perhaps the biggest story, and the one with a great potential for new products, is the kids' market. While the argument can be made that adults with set eating habits are slow to change unless a life-threatening health problem crops up, everyone is likely to agree that having an increasing number of healthful children's options on quick-service menus is a good idea.

Obesity in children is a major concern, and because many parents rely, to some extent, on quick-service restaurants to feed their families, these venues can do a lot to help improve the health of young people.

Many of the major chains have done an admirable job of improving and modifying kids' menus. Dublin, OH- based Wendy's introduced "grab and go" milk in plastic containers as an alternative to sugary sodas and now offers orange slices instead of french fries. Oakbrook, IL-based McDonald's now offers hugely successful Apple Dippers. McDonald's also has revamped its Chicken McNuggets, making them entirely of white meat and without trans fat. At Ruby Tuesday, a "Kids Smart Eating" program and menu was launched last June, developed with children's input and including lower-calorie versions of traditional items. The company also eliminated free ice cream for children. Miami-based Burger King introduced strawberry applesauce as a side dish. And Subway's Kids' Pak meal now includes 100% juice instead of a soft drink, a fruit roll-up instead of a cookie, and a toy that encourages physical activity.

Exercise, in fact, has become part of what many of these restaurants promote. McDonald's, Burger King and Ruby Tuesday all offer physical-fitness components of their healthful offerings, from simple, active toys and educational games to full programs. Nationwide, Burger King sponsors 207 schools' participation in the President's Challenge, the physical activity and fitness awards program of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport. McDonald's created the "McDonald's Advisory Council on Healthy Lifestyles," consisting of independent experts on nutrition and healthy lifestyles from around the world to help guide the company in its efforts to develop activities that promote healthy, balanced lifestyles.

Eat your fruit and veggies Fruit choices have gone beyond kids' menus (although reports are that adults like to order the children's fruit choices, too). Chick-fil-A, based in Atlanta, has fresh fruit slices as a menu choice and Wendy's now offers Mandarin oranges. The most visible of these new healthful selections is McDonald's Fruit & Walnut Salad, which was launched with a huge advertising campaign featuring cartoons of women enjoying the fresh, healthful fruit. The Apple Dippers and the apples in the new salad are treated with a solution that includes calcium and vitamin C, which preserves the fruit's color without changing the flavor. The vitamin C in the solution also actually makes the fruit more healthful.

Several new fruit products show a lot of promise. Fizzy Fruit is the latest sensation. Galen Kaufman, a Texas neurobiologist, discovered Fizzy Fruit by accident. While on a sailing trip, Kaufman bit into a pear that had been in a cooler chilled with dry ice. He sensed a "fizziness" in the fruit and liked it. He realized that some of the dry ice had gone directly from a solid into carbon dioxide gas and entered the fruit; the pear had become carbonated. Kaufman then contacted a professor at Oregon State University, Corvallis, to help him develop the design for the manufacture of Fizzy Fruit. The product will be marketed to school-lunch programs and other children's markets. Adults might like it, too.

Another product that jumps onto McDonald's success with Apple Dippers are Dippin' Stix, developed by Reichel Foods, Inc., Owatonna, MN. The product is sliced apples and pears, some with fruit, caramel or peanut butter dip, in colorful packages. The company also has carrot and celery dippers.

Vegetables, too, are showing up on more menus. McDonald's, Dallas-based Pizza Hut and San Diego- based Jack-in-the-Box, just to name a few, have added salads to their menus. Although McDonald's has had salads on the menu since 1986, the salads today look and taste better than they did back in 1986. Today, they have more than just iceberg lettuce, and include hot chicken served separately and Newman's Own salad dressing -- and they are gaining better acceptance. Wendy's just came out with a new Mediterranean Chicken Salad with a red-wine vinaigrette, herb-seasoned chicken and feta cheese.

J. R. Simplot Company, Boise, ID, has introduced several vegetable products that have gained favor with both restaurateurs and patrons. One of the concerns with serving fresh produce is the extra time it often takes to prepare them. The company's RoastWorks(TM) preseasoned, roasted vegetables are naturally healthful and easy to prepare. In addition, Simplot offers restaurateurs a collection of recipes called "MenuBalance: Recipes for Healthy Living" that help operators by offering recipes and menu ideas.

Transcending trans fat The biggest topic today is trans fat. By Jan. 2006, packaged foods in the United States will have to be labeled for their trans-fatty-acid content. Trans fats raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL, "bad") cholesterol and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL, "good") cholesterol, resulting in an increased risk of coronary heart disease. They are believed to pose a greater risk to heart health than saturated fats.

Three years ago after a lawsuit, McDonald's agreed to halve the level of the trans fatty acids in its fries. Today, the company is testing a healthier blend of oil in a small number of restaurants, but it remains a dicey issue for the company -- and everyone looking to change oils. The concern, of course, is that the new oil will change the texture and flavor of the popular fries. The signature fries served by McDonald's is one reason people keep coming back, and patrons might not care about the trans fats content -- especially if they consider the fries an occasional treat.

Legal Sea Foods, headquartered in Boston, was one of the first restaurant chains to make the switch to a french fry with no trans fat, cooked in trans-fat-free oil. The 30 restaurants in the chain changed over to the more-healthful oil for frying five years ago. What the chain didn't initially realize was that its fries had been blanched in a non-trans-fat-free oil. The company worked with its vendor to eliminate trans fat and has eliminated trans fat from the rest of its menu items, too, including from the oyster crackers.

Other full-service restaurants, such as Newport Beach, CA-based Ruby's Diner, Inc., a 38-unit chain that introduced its new trans-fat-free FitFries last fall, and Ruby Tuesday, which promotes the fact that its 736 units use trans-fat-free oil for frying, are leading the pack. Part of the difficulty for many chains in switching is the current supply of trans-fat-free oils. Canola oil is one viable alternative, but is more expensive than hydrogenated oils and in not in large enough supply for everyone to switch.

Two newer oils on the market that have no trans fats are palm fruit oil and new low-linoleic-acid soybean oil. Palm fruit oil is obtained from the flesh of the oil palm fruit. Like olive oil, it is a fruit oil, not to be mistaken for palm kernel oil, which is extracted from the kernel, or seed, of the palm fruit. Palm oil has saturated and unsaturated fatty acids coupled with natural vitamins A and E. The typical fatty-acid profile in palm oil is 45% palmitic, 40% oleic, 10% linoleic and 5% stearic. Although its tropical brethren palm kernel oil and coconut oil have gotten a bad reputation for raising cholesterol, insufficient evidence exists to group palm oil in the same unhealthy category when consumed at a reasonable level.

The other issue with frying oils is stability. This is why oils are partially hydrogenated. However, a double fractionating process that separates the solids from the liquids in palm oil creates liquid palm olein with a reduced saturated-fat level. However, it contains enough saturates to give it stability. Plus, the solid form can then be added back as needed to make more-solid fats without the need for hydrogenation.

Low-linoleic soybean oil is the other hot new oil for reducing trans in foodservice applications. Researchers at Iowa State University, Ames, have selectively bred soybeans to find a bean with only 1% linoleic acid, compared to 7% in a conventional bean. The new soybeans require little, if any, hydrogenation and the oil is free of trans fats. From these soybeans, Bunge Limited, Cincinnati, OH, and Wilmington, DE-based DuPont created Nutrium(TM) Low Lin Soybean Oil, with less than 3% linoleic acid, giving the oil natural stability and increased shelf life. When used for frying, low-linolenic oil eliminates the need for partial hydrogenation.

"There will be a lot of supply down the road," says Rick Francis, vice president, marketing, Bunge Foods. "The market will expand and then the supply will catch up, and eventually, soybeans will be all low lin."

If companies are willing to pay the extra price in the short run, while supplies are lower, they eventually will reap the benefits. But whether these increased costs can be passed onto consumers is another question. Consumers might not want to pay the extra price for trans-fat-free foods.

Let the diner decide The key word today in nutrition and healthy eating today is balance. That means placing more emphasis on total calorie intake compared to the amount of energy expended in the form of physical activity in any given day. Maybe it means people watch what they eat the rest of the day, but indulge in their favorite french fries or full-fat ice cream once in a while. To have that balance, consumers need choice, and offering choice is another way fast feeders are catering to customers.

The idea might all have started with the tapas bar, which originated in Spain and where patrons can choose to have several small bites of food instead of a large entrée.

Some restaurants have taken that idea even further. Stir Crazy Café, Chicago, and Flat Top Grill, Oak Park, IL, both offer patrons the chance to pick and choose which vegetables, meats, seasonings and sauces they want, and then watch the cooks stir-fry the meal in front of them. Chili's Grill & Bar, Brinker International, Dallas, has a new "It's Your Choice" initiative that lists menu items created or modified for low-carb dieters, and it encourages customers to customize their meals. At Kraft Restaurants in New York, people design their own meals, choosing meats, sauces and seasonings.

"I think operators are recognizing that there are consumers who do want to eat healthy and others who want to indulge," says Alan Cahn, vice president, marketing, Simplot Foods. "The challenge is to have enough choices. It's almost a schizophrenic society. You see the enormous burgers and omelets, but salads are growing rapidly. Consumers are going to nutritionally average, and restaurants are going to have to allow consumers to do that. Restaurants have to have the perceived health choice and the indulgent choice. You have to remain relevant to your customer base."

Fast-food restaurants that have jumped on this idea include Baja Fresh, Thousand Oaks, CA, with its new "Lifestyle Choices" menu items that include both high-protein and low-fat options. Wendy's just started to offer side-order substitutions for french fries, allowing customers to exchange their combo-meal fries for chili, a baked potato or a side salad. Louisville, KY- based Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation is allowing patrons to customize as well by removing the skin and breading on its Original Recipe® chicken breast (3 grams fat) and choosing two "homestyle" sides, such as corn on the cob (3 grams fat), mashed potatoes and gravy (4 grams fat), green beans (1.5 grams fat), or barbecue beans (1 gram fat).

Vegetarians have more options in quick service than ever before, as well. Burger King launched a new BK Veggie® Burger in May 2005. The new burger is produced by the Morningstar Farms Division of Battle Creek, MI- based Kellogg Company, and is known as a retail product, but has never been available in quick-service restaurants. Burger King is the first fast feeder to offer a vegetarian burger nationally.

Eat and run The bottom line in quick service is that it has to be easy to eat on the run. Many people eat at their desks while they continue to work, eat in the car or walk and eat. Products introduced in this segment need to address this need, as well as taste, variety, choice and, yes, nutrition. That's why sandwiches are so popular in quick service and why some other menu items have failed. In the past, salads were bland and unimaginative, and they also were often hard to eat. Salads are still difficult to eat on the run, but at least they taste better.

This past May, the Kellogg Company introduced a product for the breakfast market -- a grab-and-go cereal. Drink 'n Crunch(TM) uses a unique dual-cup design with a cup for cereal on the inside, surrounded by another cup for milk. The cereal and milk remain in separate chambers until they meet in the mouth, enabling the cereal to stay fresh and crispy. It's easy to use -- just pop the top, add milk and snap the cereal cup back into place.

Products that address the need to eat on the go, whether through packaging or options such as a pita pocket that make it easier to carry around and eat, are likely to gain a lot of favor from quick-service operations. Grain and protein bars are popular packaged-food alternatives -- perhaps a similar, but customized, product would work in quick service.

Bragging rights Mandatory labeling might never happen. The NRA certainly hopes it doesn't, but its advice is to be proactive. It will soon launch "AskUs!," a voluntary nutrition-information program that will educate operators about such options as beefing-up healthful options on kids' menus, collaborating with dietitians and reducing fat content in dishes while maintaining flavor. The message the NRA wants to promote is that one size does not fit all.

Most major quick-service restaurants offer some form of nutritional analysis, either in-store on menus or posters, or as an online feature. McDonald's has tray covers with nutritional information and Ruby Tuesday has a booklet with all nutritional information on each table.

Go to any number of quick-service restaurant websites and you can have fun plugging in different menu choices and seeing how they stack up nutritionally. Many patrons are surprised to find out that the chicken salad perceived as lowest in calories is actually higher than the chicken sandwich because of the cheese, dressing and taco shell it's served in.

Many smaller restaurants do not have the resources to institute a full-blown nutritional analysis, but it will soon be much easier for mom-and-pop operations to analyze their menus, thanks to some new resources recently made available and less expensive than before. One is San Diego-based Healthy Dining, headed by Anita Jones. Healthy Dining has been around for some time, analyzing menus in California and helping patrons choose restaurants with healthful eating options. The company just teamed with the NRA to come up with an interactive website where restaurateurs can list their healthful menu items. These items have to meet the Dietary Guidelines recommendations as well as those of the U.S. Surgeon General. Meals have to have fewer than 750 calories and 25 grams of fat.

Another partnership with the NRA is the Computer Chef, a new interactive program from ESHA Research, Salem OR. It allows restaurant operators to enter their own recipes. The site analyzes the recipes nutritionally and that information can then be dropped into a website.

CBORD Group, Ithaca, NY developed the interactive online analysis for Red Lobster's Lighthouse Menu. Companies work with software companies to develop website capability, or purchase their own software and analyze menu items by hand.

Fast food's future What new health challenges will quick-service restaurants have to address? Trans fat is the next health craze, but beyond that, balance, variety and choice are the words experts are using to talk about healthy food in the future. Products that didn't work in the past had more to do with the fact that the food didn't taste all that good -- something that has been addressed. New healthy products will have to taste good, and they don't have to be called "good-for-you." In fact, the best products will be those that are nutritious and healthful without giving that perception.

We may see an increase in restaurants like the KnowFat! Lifestyle Grille in Brighton, MA that caters to health-conscious consumers on the go. The concept has a restaurant on one side and a retail store on the other offering healthful items. The company has taken nutritional analysis one step further and not only offers nutritional and calorie counts on each receipt, but also tracks customer eating with a web-based loyalty program that will link customers with nutritional counseling, if desired.

Functional foods and foods with beneficial properties, such as probiotic yogurts, heart-healthy sterol and stanol products, and tonics such as those by Los Angeles-based Elixr Tonics and Teas, which have health claims and names like Mud Over Muddle and Depth Recharger, that can be added to sparkling water, might find their way onto mainstream menus as the new generation that grew up on these "superfoods" grows into adulthood. So might the proliferation of soy products and even the new snacks like Mars Bar with added nutrients.

Health means a lot of different things to different people, and no doubt, new research will continue to shed light on aspects of nutrition we are currently unaware of. What's clear is that despite the super-sized burgers that some fast-service venues have recently added to the menu, quick-service restaurants are committed to adding variety and choice to menus.

Nancy Backas is a Chicago-based freelance writer and chef. She has been writing about the foodservice industry for more than 20 years and can be reached at [email protected] .

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