Too Poor to Eat Healthy?
Research shows that consumers are choosing cheaper food over more-healthful items.
By Mary Boltz Chapman, Editor-in-Chief -- Chain Leader, 9/1/2009 12:00:00 AM
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| At Panda Express, Wok Smart items such as this Broccoli Beef have less than 250 calories per serving. This dish has 150 calories and is priced in line with the chain’s other entrees. |
Despite the efforts restaurant chains from fast food to fine dining have made to add more-healthful items to the menu, consumers still aren’t buying. In a poll on chainleader.com, 82 percent of respondents say their better-for-you items are selling “lousy.” Recent research shows that customers cite economic factors as a reason for not purchasing healthful food—or as an excuse.
Too Great a Cost
Chicago-based foodservice consulting firm Technomic says its research shows the recession is hindering consumers’ healthy-eating behavior. Although more than half of consumers say they are more concerned about their eating habits than they were a year ago, 70 percent say that healthful foods are harder to afford; 53 percent say they buy less-healthful items because those items are cheaper; and 44 percent say their budget prevents them from eating healthful foods.
Says Technomic Executive Vice President Bob Goldin: “Consumers are economizing in their food expenditures and believe that one way to do so is to spend less on healthy foods. It’s an unfortunate development.”
Meal Skippers
A July survey by WorkPlace Media, a Cleveland-based firm that helps companies reach consumers at work, also shows that people are changing dining habits—often to less-healthy ones—because of the economy.
More than 30 percent of workers say they are making less money, and 75 percent are cutting their food and beverage consumption. For instance, 9 percent note they are skipping breakfast to save money, and 3 percent are skipping lunch.
Additionally, 34 percent of respondents say that they are choosing cheaper fast food over more-healthful options. At breakfast, 3 percent report they opt for fast food; at lunch, 8 percent do; and at dinner, 7 percent do.
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