Consumer group says finding healthy food for children in fast food restaurants is tough

Aug 5 2008

A consumer watchdog group in the United States says when it comes to fast food restaurants, it is a struggle to find anything remotely healthy for a child to eat.

According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) every single possible combination of the children's meals at KFC, Taco Bell, Sonic, Jack in the Box and Chick-fil-A is too high in calories.

The CSPI investigation into the nutritional quality of children's fast food meals, examined the menus at 13 popular restaurants that promote children's meals.

The CSPI says 93% of 1,474 possible choices at the 13 chains exceeded 430 calories, an amount that is one-third of what the Institute of Medicine recommends that children aged four to eight should consume in a day.

According to the CSPI, besides being almost always too high in calories, 45 percent of the children's meals at the 13 chains studied are too high in saturated and trans fat, and 86 percent are too high in sodium.

The CSPI says in view of the fact that a quarter of children between the ages of five and ten already have the early signs of heart disease, such as high LDL cholesterol or elevated blood pressure, this is alarming.

The report which was released early this week found most of the children's meals at Chili's were too high in calories and a Burger King "Big Kids" meal with a double cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milk contained 910 calories.

CSPI says KFC has few meal combinations that keep a reasonable ceiling on calories and most of the children's meals at McDonald's and Wendy's are too high in calories.

The CSPI says more than 90 percent of meals offered at hamburger chains would fill virtually all of a child's calorie needs for the day.

Subway's children's meals came out on top of the league with only a third of its Fresh Fit for Kids meals and one of several healthy side items exceeding the 430-calorie threshold; Subway is also the only chain that doesn't offer soft drinks with children's meals.

The CSPI says though people may not get a heart attack until their 50s or 60s, arteries begin to clog in childhood and the overwhelming majority of chain restaurant children's meals are nutritionally poor.

The CSPI has called for calorie counts on menus and menu boards to help parents assemble healthier meals for their children and for laws or regulations requiring chain restaurants to display such information.

The CSPI only examined the chains that have dedicated children's menus, many other popular chain restaurants do not disclose nutrition information for most menu items even upon request.