HOSP100 Week 4 Current Issues

There are many different issues affecting food service today, from consumer issues about health and nutrition to the healthcare laws that are requiring strict menu nutritional labeling.  It’s important to stay up to date with industry issues. What do you feel are the most common consumer issues concerning health and nutrition that have an impact on planning food service operations?  Why? How do these concerns impact menu planning and trends in the industry?

You must give an example of how your chosen issue is affecting the way food service operations are run.  APA format is not required, but support your discussion by including a link to the sources that support your conclusions.

Good evening all,

Personally, I think the most common consumer issues concerning health and nutrition is the fast food and the consumer’s hectic schedule. Obesity is and will always be the main concern in our present society. Some health organizations are blaming the widespread of the fast food chain to be one of the causes of the problem. Companies like Burger King, McDonald, Wendy’s, In-N-out and others are the subjects for this allegation. The argument was, this type of food service industry are producing an environment to which customers are encouraged to eat poorly and unhealthy thus, making the pool of obesity bigger than it was before.

But why people still patronize these fast food chains despite the absence of healthy options? According to Coalition “Most Americans are overscheduled and overcommitted. They run from activity to activity and do not make time to plan or prepare meals.” Traditionally, having a hectic pace has been a long-standing background of the Americans. This can be traced back since the industrialization of this Great Nation. We work and work some more. People are accustomed to a grab and go meal because it is more convenient and conducive to their schedules. And with the continuous development of technology, most of the jobs now require less manual labor and often times consist computer deskwork wherein people can eat while doing their particular tasks that makes obesity to rise even more.

What are the actions do the companies affected this allegation make? Companies affected by these allegations and challenges have made some significant changes to their planning, operations, and food preparations. The calorie counts or labels are now available next to each item on the menu board to help the customer gauge and limit the consumption of the items based on the consumer’s preferred calories intake (Anderson, B., Lyon-Callo, S., Fussman, C., Imes, G., & Rafferty, A. P., 2011). Furthermore, the companies responded to the consumer’s health and nutrition concerns by revolutionizing their menu design by adding a low fat and low calories healthy options for the consumers. To name a few, the Wendy’s Asian Cashew salad (380 calories), Taco Bell’s Fresco Chicken Burrito Supreme (340 Calories), and McDonald Artisan Chicken Sandwich with 360 calories (Brodwin, 2016). These will make the public aware of their calories intake and make necessary plans to address their health issues.

In today’s food service market, consumer demands for more healthy selections on the food they consume, or at least see it available as options at the menu boards. Therefore, fast food chain industry should adopt and transformed their food preparations based on the trends and the market needs. Fast food chains survivability revolves around consumers’ satisfaction; however, consumers’ health is important too and should be well addressed. The goal of good management is to make the fast food industry not just for convenience but a healthy option as well.

References

Brodwin, E. (2016, April 28). 15 of the healthiest fast-food menu items. Retrieved December 26, 2016, from Business Insider, http://www.businessinsider.com/healthy-meals-at-chipotle-panera-shake-shack-2016-4/#shake-shack–single-hamburger-or-chicken-dog–360-or-300-calories-6

Anderson, B., Lyon-Callo, S., Fussman, C., Imes, G., & Rafferty, A. P. (2011). Fast-food consumption and obesity among Michigan adults. , 8(4), . Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136980/

Coalition, O. A. (2016). UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITY OF OBESITY. Retrieved December 26, 2016, from http://www.obesityaction.org/educational-resources/resource-articles-2/nutrition/fast-food-is-it-the-enemy