CHICAGO A recent study shows that consumers are ordering less healthful meals at restaurants because they cost less, even though they still say they are concerned about what they eat. Pressure also is mounting for restaurants to respond more aggressively to consumer nutritional concerns.
Technomic Inc., a foodservice marketing firm, polled about 1,200 people last month and found that 53 percent of respondents said they order less healthful food in restaurants in order to save money during the economic downturn. The study further found that 74 percent of respondents agreed that healthy foods cost more in restaurants versus unhealthful foods, and 44 percent said their budgets prevented them from eating healthfully.
Still, consumers claim to want to make the right dietary choices, and are looking to restaurants to help them. Seventy-three percent of respondents claimed that restaurants have a responsibility to respond more aggressively to consumer nutritional concerns.
The national study was published late last month.
The data could indicate that operators may be missing a chance to grab consumers with right-priced, healthful options.
“I have the sense with many operators at this point that they’re worried about keeping their doors open and health and nutrition are much lower on the priority list,” said Robert S. Goldin, an executive vice president for the Chicago-based Technomic. “I think they are just trying to deliver a lot of value in a huge deal-oriented environment.”
Goldin added that despite a propensity to spend less and eat less healthfully during the recession, consumers were still greatly concerned about their food choices.
“That’s really the crux of it,” he said. They want to eat better, he noted, but “they feel that it’s just not affordable.”
Certain chains, like KFC, for example, made certain to price its more healthful grilled chicken menu items in the same range as the chain’s well known fried chicken menu items. Chain officials had said they wanted to be certain that consumers could order healthful options without paying more.
“The recession has impacted 90 percent of all households and, as a consequence, had a very significant effect on consumers’ attempts to economize,” Goldin said. “Approximately 84 percent of those polled said they were trying to spend less at restaurants and 79 percent said they were trying to stretch what they spend.”
“On the subject of health and nutrition,” he continued, “we found that 88 percent claimed they are concerned about their eating habits and that eating at home is healthier than eating at restaurants.”
Contact Elissa Elan at [email protected].