US Restaurant Chains Offering New, Less Caloric Menu Items
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shalamov/iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A new study found that newly introduced menu items at many U.S. restaurant chains are less caloric than older items.
According to the study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health found that large chain restaurants — selected from the top 100 largest chains in America — introduced newer food and beverage options containing 60 fewer calories than previously available options.
The overall average caloric content of menu items did not change, the researchers said, but the newer items contained 12 percent fewer calories than older options. Among the highest calorie decreases were children’s items (20 percent), main course items (10 percent), and beverages (eight percent).
Notably, in restaurants that have a “primary food focus,” the larger caloric drops were seen in menu items not at the business’ core.
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