Fast Food To Healthy Food: A Paradigm Shift

Arecent headline in the Nation\u27s Restaurant News (2002) asked the question: Should Restaurants Bear the Burden of Monitoring Americans\u27 Diets? . Society has grown increasingly conscientious about health care costs and the question is consistent with this trend. In light of some highly publicized cases of litigation and debates between consumer groups and food service professionals, this question is the cornerstone of a debate centered upon weighing the nutritional value of fast food, and the responsibility of these organizations to provide healthy alternatives for consumers. The purpose of this study is to discern the role that quick service restaurants are expected to play in health and nutrition; it will also focus upon what they are actually doing to promote healthier menu items. The current study examined the fast food industry\u27s efforts to address its highly controversial role as a possible contributor to the nation\u27s health care crisis. The setting for this study was the Detroit metropolitan area, which serves as a microcosm of greater metropolitan areas throughoutCopyright (c) by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration742006102543641525-6480PDFEnglisharticle © Copyright (c) by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved