Are You a Member of the "Clean Plate Club?"
Restaurants compete for your business by providing you with larger portions, but membership in the "Clean Plate Club" may be linked to a host of chronic health problems and weight gain. If you want to get or keep that bikini figure, get out of the "clean plate club" and stay on the beach.
Food marketers acknowledge that "value marketing" offering more food for less money is on the rise in the nation's fast food and table service restaurants. They maintain that the practice not only helps restaurants save money, but also grows directly from consumer demand.
Yet as this marketing trend continues, national obesity rates have doubled since 1980, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Obesity is a risk factor for many chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several cancers.
A new survey commissioned by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) reveals that most Americans are unthinkingly gobbling up all that extra food. According to the survey, most Americans feel that the amount of food they are served in today's restaurants is "just right" and routinely clean their plates.
But there is also reason for hope in the AICR survey, said Polk. According to the survey, a number of Americans are indeed concerned about growing portion sizes in the nation's restaurants and are beginning to take action to combat the problem.
AICR surveyed 1,003 Americans about their eating behavior in restaurants. Respondents were specifically asked about their dining experiences during the month-long period preceding the survey. The survey was conducted by International Communications Research in December 2000.
Only 20 percent of Americans said that, when dining out, they finished their entrée all the time. (Men were 4 times more likely to do so: 32 percent of men said they finished their entrée all the time, compared to only 9 percent of women.) Another 47 percent of Americans said they finished it most of the time. About one in four Americans (26 percent) said they finished their entrée some of the time, and 7 percent said they never finished eating their entrée.
As could be expected, of those who finished their entrée always or most of the time, 73 percent felt the portions they were served were "just right." Another 19 percent of this group, however, said that they would have been satisfied with a smaller portion. Most of those Americans who finished their entrée some of the time or never felt their portions were too large (65 percent). Despite this, only 7 percent spoke to their server about this issue.
"It's important to talk to your server or better yet a manager and say that you want a reasonable amount of food for a reasonable price," said Polk. "Value marketing grew out of consumer demand, and it's not going to stop until enough people stand up and say, 'Look, I don't want more for less I want less for less.'"
Of course, those Americans who finished their entrees most of the time or always were even less likely to mention anything about portion size to their server (4 percent.) Yet, surprisingly, of those who did, nearly half (42 percent) complained that their portions were too large.
Among those who finish their entrée some of the time or never, women were more likely to think their portions were too big (67 percent of women compared to 58 percent of men.)
The survey also found that 35-44 year olds were most likely to mention something about portion sizes (14 percent), and 18-34 year olds were least likely (2 percent).
Many Americans Adopt Strategies to Combat Oversize Restaurant Portions
According to the survey, over half of all Americans (55 percent) routinely take leftovers home. (Among the group of Americans who said they finished their entrees some of the time or never, this number was, of course, slightly larger (63 percent.) Men and women in this group were equally likely to take leftovers home, but Americans in the 18-34 age range were least likely to do so (52 percent) while those in the 35-44 age range were most likely to do so (75 percent)).
Another 7 percent of Americans give their leftovers to dining companions to finish.
Finally, 35 percent of Americans simply leave any leftovers on their plate. (This practice was particularly prevalent (46 percent) among 18-34 year olds.)
Taking leftovers home is only one strategy Americans are using to combat the growth of restaurant portion sizes. According to the survey:
1 percent of Americans order an appetizer as a main course.
32 percent of Americans order one main course and split it between two people
13 percent order half-sized portions.
"These are all wonderful, common-sense strategies for taking action that will end up making a real difference," says Polk. "Another idea is to order a doggie bag at the beginning of your meal, so you can put half your portion aside before you even start eating."
Additional Findings of AICR Restaurant Survey
Overall, 69 percent of Americans said they had dined out (including fast food and table service restaurants) 10 times or less over the past month. Many (36 percent) had dined out only 1-4 times, while 32 percent had dined out 5-10 times. Only 9 percent of Americans had dined out 11-15 times per month, 5 percent dined out 16-20 times per month, and 7 percent had dined out 21 times or more. Eleven percent of respondents said they had not dined out all in the preceding four weeks.
Of those Americans who had dined out at least once, 69 percent had eaten at a fast food restaurant and 88 percent had eaten at a table service restaurant.
When choosing a restaurant, Quality of Food and Cleanliness rated as the two most important factors Americans considered. 92 percent of Americans said they felt these factors were highly important.
Service came next, with 80 percent of Americans saying it was an important consideration when choosing a restaurant.
Variety on the Menu was considered very important by 63 percent of Americans.
Specific Cuisine Offered (Chinese, Italian, Mexican, etc.) came next, at 62 percent.
Healthiness of Food was considered important by 60 percent of Americans.
Value (amount of food for the money) was rated highly by 59 percent of Americans.
Location was considered important by 57 percent of Americans.
The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the nation's third largest cancer charity, focusing exclusively on the link between diet and cancer. The Institute provides a wide range of consumer education programs that help millions of Americans learn to make dietary changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S. The Institute has provided over $57 million in funding for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR's Web address is www.aicr@org
Some Bullet Points from New AICR Survey on Restaurant Behaviors
67% of Americans said they finish their entrees most of the time or always.
Men were four times more likely than women to finish their entrees all the time. (32% of men vs. 9% of women.)
33% of Americans said they finish their entrees never or only some of the time.
73% of those who finished their entrees most of the time or always said that restaurant portions were "just right." Another 19% said they would be satisfied with a smaller portion.
65% of those who finished their entrees never or only some of time felt their portions were too large, but only 7 % of this group mentioned their concerns to their server.
AICR warns Americans that passive overeating in restaurants may be linked to obesity and obesity -related diseases.
AICR also urges those who feel their portions are too large to let restaurants know their concerns.
