Fast Food Consumption Down According To New Study

By JORDAN BRANDES While fast food continues to find its way into the average person’s daily diet a new report suggests that people may in fact be consuming less of it than usual. According to a new study compiled by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007 to 2010 adults received 11.3 of their total daily calories from fast food meals. This is down for the 12.8 percent that was consumed between 2003 and 2006. The data suggests that caloric intake from fast food meals actually decreases with an increase in income and age. This new study allows franchisees a window into the psychology of the new consumer. While the caloric intake has in fact gone down one must remember that franchises across the country have been rolling out new, healthier options as well. For instance, last year McDonalds launched smaller happier meals and added apple slices to the menu while Taco Bell released its new Cantina Menu geared toward smarter snacking. They are far from the only ones. Burger King went so far as to revamp its entire menu to include more salads and fresh smoothies.  This means that franchises need not worry about losing customers so long as healthy menu options are available.