Do Fast Food Companies Really Want You to Eat Healthier?

There's no way to sugarcoat it. We Americans are fat.

According to the CDC, one-third of adults in the U.S. are obese and, though rates of obesity among low-income children have actually declined for the first time in recent years, approximately 17% — that’s 12.5 million — children and adolescents ages 2-19 are obese. All kinds of health issues, including heart disease and diabetes, are tied into the weight condition, so it truly is no laughing matter to see it so prevalent among Americans.

There are a ton of reasons why we're a nation in the midst of an obesity epidemic. The fact that we're not the only society struggling with the problem or even the fattest country on the planet anymore highlights that the problem is a cultural one that spans the globe. Modern technology reducing psychical exertion probably plays a big part, a lack of proper nutritional education as well, but without a doubt the biggest factor is access to healthy foods. Most Americans' meal options are of the fattening high-caloric type and many believe that simply offering a better selection of foods with higher nutritional value would put a dent in the country's weight problem.

So you can imagine the surprise of many at the recent trend of fast food chains, long scorned for causing the fattening of the American people, publicly announcing healthier options to their menus. But is this an effort to help curb an actual public health problem or a marketing gimmick to keep people buying fatty cheeseburgers?

It started a couple weeks ago when Burger King unveiled it's new line of french fries that cut 40% of the fat and 30% of the calories off its original recipe, which were given the grimace-inducing name "Satisfries." Not to be out done, just days later the chain's main competitor McDonald's announced that its customers would soon be able to choose between between vegetables, a side salad, or fruit to go along with their meals (though the rollout would be slow, with the healthier options not fully available in the targeted 20 of the company's largest markets until 2020).

Both moves earned positive comments from public health advocates and nutritional experts.

Margo Wootan, the Center for Science in the Public Interest's director of nutrition policy, told Reuters Burger King's healthier fries were a "step in the right direction," adding "If people are going to eat fries, the new fries are an improvement," though she did wish the chain would add more fruits and vegetables to its menu.

McDonald's for their part, developed their new healthier options with the help of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which was founded by the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation, to help customers gain easier access to fruits and vegetables. “If we want to curb the catastrophic economic and health implications of obesity across the world, we need more companies to follow McDonald’s lead and step up to the plate and make meaningful changes,” Former President Bill Clinton said in a press release for the announcement.

But while these developments might seem like the fast food industry is working to change its ways, an underlying less-altruistic motivation may be at play.

It seems that when people order healthier options on a menu they also buy more unhealthy food. In fact, some restaurants even saw an increase in sales of unhealthy food items when they added healthier options without the additional sale of the more nutritional choices. According to an article published in The Journal of Consumer Research, it seems that "the mere presence of the healthy food option vicariously fulfills nutrition‐related goals and provides consumers with a license to indulge." Basically, when people consider buying a healthy meal at a fast-food restaurant, they sometimes use it as free pass to splurge on a fatty burger. It's called the "halo effect."

So not only are Burger King and McDonald's reaping the PR benefits of their health menu options announcements, they'll likely see a boost to their burger sales.

Maybe we're overreacting and seeing non-existent corporate conspiracies. It could be that both companies honestly believe the new healthy side dish options can help in getting the country to eat better. But at least you now know to make sure you don't "reward" yourself for eating a salad by adding on an apple pie or two...because that could be their plan all along.

[Pic via Flickr - Wilner Jos]