Healthy and Light Menu Items

Foodservice operators are concerned about meeting the increasing consumer demand for healthy and nutritious food.  Some chains are responding by adding high protein/ low carb profile items, some are reducing high carb/high fat items, others are finding success with salads.  Before stampeding in one direction or another it may be wise for operators and chains to examine whats already on their menus, it may be best to reformulate or re-position or rename some current items and forego the expense and time of development.

A review of the 40,000 plus menu items in the MenuMine database reveals that 3.2% of all lunch and dinner menu items use a healthy or light moniker in the menu item name or the menu item description.  Midscale chains, with 4.5% of total menu items classified as healthy/light, are more likely to offer healthier fare than are cutting edge independents (3.6% of menued items), QSR chains (2.7%) and casual chains (2.5%).  (see table below)

Healthy/Light Terms

There are over 20 unique healthy/light terms in use by restaurants and these vary by market segment, as shown below:  Terms are ranked in order of usage frequency.

-Midscale chains: fresh fruit, fresh, whole wheat, vegetarian, fat free, fresh salad

-Cutting Edge Independents: fresh, vegetarian, organic, whole wheat, natural, fresh fish,  free range, fat free

-Quick Serve Chains: vegetarian, healthy, light, multi grain, fresh, fat free, whole wheat, low fat, organic

-Casual chains: fresh, vegetarian, healthy, light/lite, fresh fish, fat free, natural, low fat

Healthy and Protein

Healthy / Light on the menu does not rule out a protein component.  While 73% of all menu items  include a protein, 54% of healthy/light items include a protein.  Leading proteins in healthy/light menu items are as follows: beef (29% share), chicken (29%), fish (11%), pork (10%), seafood (7%), turkey 7%), shrimp (4%), veggie burger (3%).

Guidelines from NRA

A recent brochure from NRA entitled 3 Steps to a healthy lifestyle contains good suggestions for healthy menu items:

1. foods like fruits and vegetables are naturally low in calories and fat, and can provide dietary fiber as well as many vitamins and minerals.
2. foods that are baked, grilled, broiled, poached or steamed generally use less fat in food preparation and usually have fewer calories
3. herbs and spices can add low fat and low calories flavor
4. moderation is a certain way to control calorie intake

Healthy/Light Menu Items

Several leading chains and cutting edge independents feature healthy/ light menu items.  These items seem to cut across all menu parts, protein types and cuisines.  

Healthy Cues for Fresh

It appears that restaurants may have undersold the healthy aspects of what is already on their menus.   Or, to put it another way, there is plenty that is healthy and nutritious on menus already.  These healthy menu items merely need to be described appropriately.  Certain verbal cues suggest healthy and nutritious.  Words like fresh, healthy, natural, vegetarian, fat free, low cal.  Shown below are healthy and nutritious verbal cues and the number of mentions on menus.

The following are some leading examples of how the verbal cues are used in combination with specific actual and/or perceived healthy/nutritious items:

Fresh 

Natural

Breads

Other Vegetable Related Words 

Flagging Healthy/Light Menu Items

Visual cues flag menu items with logos such as Iron Skillets Heart Healthy, or Country Prides Cholesterol Free Eggs.  Gorins flags vegetarian items, Cheddars uses a tomato symbol, Boston Market a green triangle and Dennys uses Fit Fare, to name a few.

Bottom line advice to restaurants:  Take a good hard look at what you and your competition have on the menu and who your customers are.  Where it makes sense, make sure your customers are aware and indeed understand how truly healthy and nutritious your menu items already are.