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Last year operators watched as trans-fat bans and menu-labeling mandates spread across the United States. As these initiatives continue to gain momentum and Americans grow increasingly concerned with health and fitness, many restaurant companies are taking a proactive stand with more healthful fare and wellness programs that are paying off for both their public images and bottom lines.
Burger King Corp. is promoting balanced diets and active lifestyles for children as part of its BK Positive Steps program. The company is emphasizing beneficial nutrients like calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium and vitamin E in its Kids Meals. It also recently announced that it would limit the amount of sodium in its Kids Meals to 600 milligrams or less and that advertising to children under 12 years old would be limited to Kids Meals that meet strict nutrition criteria.
Many operators are generating new menu items and reformulating old ones to fit in better with consumers’ health-conscious lifestyles. Baskin-Robbins worldwide brand marketing officer, Scott Colwell, says the fastest-growth area in the ice cream category is “better-for-you” products. He also notes that the menu-labeling initiative in New York turned out to be a positive for their business.
“We’ve found that we’re providing consumers with information they’re looking for, and it helps them make decisions themselves,” he says.
On Dec. 29, Baskin-Robbins debuted its BRight Choices line of “better-for-you” options like fat-free frozen yogurt, real-fruit sorbets, no-sugar-added ice cream and their new premium churned line of light ice cream with 50 percent less fat.
To promote the new line, Baskin-Robbins planned a BRight Choices Day promotion for Jan. 15, where any customer who showed proof of a gym membership received a free scoop of one of the BRight Choices flavors.
Last September, Starbucks Coffee rolled out several healthful breakfast options including oatmeal with a choice of toppings, a whole-grain baked berry Stella, and a chewy fruit-and-nut bar, which were something guests were “clamoring for,” says Starbucks spokeswoman Lisa Passé.
“People were coming in for their morning coffee,” she says. “But customers were telling us that there weren’t enough [food] options they felt good about getting every day.
“It doesn’t mean that the perfectly glazed doughnut or scone isn’t going to be an option, but the new items round out the case with things people can get every day and feel really good about,” she says. “The oatmeal has been one of the best product launches we’ve ever seen.”
Communication with customers is important, because healthfulness “is more than just calories to count,” Passé says. “Americans are becoming much more aware of what they should be putting in their bodies. They know that fiber and protein and whole grains are important to keep them going. So what we did was call out those whole-grain messages or Omega-3 messages in our bakery case. We figured that was a good step towards helping our customers make informed choices.”