International consumer insights into the desires and barriers of diners in choosing healthy restaurant meals

Abstract

a b s t r a c tOverweight and obesity are global public-health problems and unhealthy restaurant meals have been identified as one contributing factor. Given the increase in restaurant meals and the number of chefs and restaurants throughout the world, small changes in restaurant meals can have a large public health impact. However, to ensure that chefs and operators are able to provide changes that diners will accept and find appealing, an understanding of diners' desire for healthier menus items and the barriers faced in choosing healthier meals is required. As such we conducted an international consumer study to identify these barriers and needs. A cohort of restaurant diners was recruited from ten countries: United Kingdom, United States of America, (n = 5000, aged 18-65 years, 50% females). Participants completed a comprehensive webbased questionnaire on aspects related to healthy eating at restaurants. Globally only 18% of the sampled diners were strongly satisfied with current healthy options on restaurant menus. Among the diners there was a preference to have ''slightly healthier'' options. The top 3 small changes that these diners wanted to see included on restaurant menus to make them healthier included: steamed, baked or grilled instead of fried, fresh ingredients used, and served with plenty of vegetables. Taste, price and satiation were seen as key barriers to current healthy options. Diners had clear preferences for when they wanted to see healthy items on the menu in terms of time of day, time of the week and occasions. Country, age and gender had a large influence on preferences, while personal factors such as diet type, family status and food reactions had minimal influence. In the current study, diners were largely unsatisfied with current healthy options and clear barriers and triggers for healthier meals were identified. Nutritionists, dietitian, chefs and managers working for restaurants and other out of home food services can leverage these insights to provide healthier and appealing meals.

Alimentación saludable y oferta de restaurantes. Una revisión de la evidencia reciente en la literatura

“…For this reason, they pointed out the need to adjust food supply in these establishments. Specifically, inclusion of health-friendly options in menus was a recurrent topic, mentioning fruits and vegetables as a regular example 4,18,[20][21][22][23][24][25] . Predominantly, concern was expressed about providing meals that contribute to wellness, given the close relationship between food consumption and health.…”

“…According to the articles, low calorie dishes may be included in restaurants' menus through modifying cooking methods 4,20,22,24 , reducing portion size 4,17,19,20,[22][23][24] or adding appetizers with lower calories 4,18,23,24 . Likewise, sugar reduction in meals offered in these establishments was discussed 4,17,20,22,26,27 . On the other hand, reduction of sodium and saturated fat was mentioned repeatedly due to the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the population 4,20,24,[27][28][29] .…”

“…Likewise, sugar reduction in meals offered in these establishments was discussed 4,17,20,22,26,27 . On the other hand, reduction of sodium and saturated fat was mentioned repeatedly due to the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the population 4,20,24,[27][28][29] . For example, the study led by Bagwell proposed to eliminate salt shakers from the tables and reduce salt addition during cooking 20 .…”

“…Some of the articles discussed the low popularity of and reduced demand for healthy foods among clients due to less pleasant flavor 17,19,20,22 . To illustrate this, Newson et al 4 asserted that healthy choices are often linked to the perception of less taste, less satiety and higher price. Given this trend, several establishments assume that providing this type of food will harm their profits 22,34 , even more so if foods with lower nutritional quality have a higher profit margin 25,26 .…”

“…Consequently, these places have an important impact not only on the economy, but also on food consumption. From an economic point of view, the foodservice industry generates more than 500 billion transactions per day 4 . On the other hand, one-third of the population's daily energy consumption comes from fast food shops, restaurants and other food establishments 5 .…”