Nutrition Guidelines Needed for Full-Service Restaurant Chains
Society for Nutrition Education and BehaviorConsumers tend to view full-service restaurants as providing healthier, higher quality food than fast-food restaurants, but some studies have found much higher calorie, fat, and sodium levels in food at full-service restaurants. Researchers from Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania studied more than 2,600 menu items served at full-service restaurant chains operating in Philadelphia and concluded that foods served at full-service restaurant chains are high in calories, saturated fat, and sodium, and that standard definitions are needed for ‘‘healthy choice’’ tags and for entrees targeted to vulnerable age groups.