Calls for fast food overhaul
FAST food meals should be automatically served with water and salad or fruit unless customers ask otherwise, obesity researchers say.
Price cuts for healthy choices are also being urged to inspire a shift from fatty chips and sugary drinks.
“All meal deals should have water and a healthy side as the default option — particularly for kids,” Deakin University Associate Professor Gary Sacks said.
He called on all companies to offer salad or fresh fruit as an alternative to fries, and water rather than juice or soft drink as the preferential option.
His comments come amid Deakin’s Global Obesity Centre review of major chains’ disclosed obesity prevention and nutrition policies and commitments.
Prof Sacks said while some outlets had added healthier choices such as salad and grilled wraps, such items were typically more expensive.
“Most heavily promoted items are unhealthy, like $1 frozen Cokes or two-for-one burgers.”
The Inside Our Quick Service Restaurants report also suggests: HEALTH stars or colour codes included on menu boards; ADVERTISING and sponsorship restrictions to reduce children’s exposure; FEWER discounts and value deals for unhealthy options; SET targets to reduce salt, sugar, ‘bad’ fat, kilojoule content and meal portion sizes; and, BANS on toy, cartoon character and interactive game promotions.
Sally Shepherdson allows children Poppy, 6, and George, 8, fast food occasionally, and usually orders water.
She supports encouraging healthy eating through lower prices.
The audit of 11 chains was mainly based on publicly available information, as most did not provide extra detail to researchers.
It noted industry progress on reformulated products, menu labelling and nutrition information.
Specific product healthiness was not assessed.
Subway scored best overall at 48 out of 100. It has both a healthy drink and side default for all kids’ meals, and has axed artificially produced trans fat.
McDonald’s (42) and KFC (41) followed. Domino’s Pizza (3) and Grill’d (10) were ranked lowest.
Domino’s said it had detailed nutritional information online and in stores. It already met or exceeded a number of recommendations, including not marketing to children and nationwide kilojoule menu board labelling.
Grill’d founder Simon Crowe slammed the results and threatened legal action, alleging the research was “flawed, misleading and deceptive”. “This survey ... failed to recognise that Grill’d has been focused on those very issues since 2004,” Mr Crowe said.