Content area
Full text
Fast food provides an increasing contribution to dietary energy and nutrient intakes in New Zealand (NZ). A recent (2014) World Health Organization (WHO)-commissioned study found that per capita fast food consumption in NZ increased 10% between 1999 and 2008; one of the sharpest increases in intake of all countries in the Organization for Economic Development (OECD).1 Such an increase is likely to be associated with ease of access given that the median distance to a fast-food outlet is less than 1 km.2
The rise in fast food availability and consumption is concerning because this food is generally high in fat, sugar, sodium, and energy, and high intakes are associated with increased body mass index (BMI) and obesity risk.1,3 As such, there have been calls for guidelines around the nutrient composition of fast food and availability of healthier options.4
We undertook a survey of the most popular items available for sale at NZ fast food restaurants to determine their mean nutrient content and contribution to recommended daily intakes (RDIs) of energy, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium. We included the four fast food chains with the highest number of outlets in NZ: McDonalds (McD; n=212 restaurants), Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC; n=98), Pizza Hut (PH; n=84) and Burger King (BK; n=80). The most popular fast food items were determined using an online survey (n=104 NZ adults; January 2014) asking about fast food consumption over the past month. The nutrient content of fast food items was determined using the 2013 version of Nutritrack, a brand-specific...