Is Fast Food Evolving?

By Ryan Capone, Staff Writer

Currently, America has trouble controlling its obesity epidemic. According to the World Federation for Fighting Obesity, America has the 19th highest obesity rate in the world for both adult males and females at 43 percent of its population. 

With the amount of fast food readily available, it is not surprising that Americans are being impacted. According to Upmenu, as of 2023, McDonalds had around 40,000 stores across the world while back in 1988, it had 10,000 stores. 

Fast food restaurants have become extremely popular due to having cheap food that tastes delicious. 36 percent of Americans eat fast food at least once per week. That is 11 percent of the average American’s daily intake according to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Senior Film Major Max Mckenna discusses how he thinks other countries view our eating habits.

“I feel like whenever other countries look to us and they make jokes about who we are as people, it’s always like, oh fat Americans they go out, they love their McDonald’s,” he said. 

In recent years, there has been a slight pushback against unhealthy fast food restaurants with more fast-casual chains like Sweetgreens emerging. Sweetgreens is a fast food restaurant specializing in salads. They even have a measure of how much CO2 emissions are estimated to be produced when making the meal, conveying to consumers that they understand how food impacts global warming differently. 

The restaurant was established in 2007 by Jonathon Newman, Nicholas Jammet, and Nathaniel Ru, who wanted to create a restaurant that would cater to the needs of college students without harmful ingredients. They were disappointed by the lack of healthy food options around them as college students. Shortly after graduating, they decided to start the first Sweetgreens, nicknamed the Tavern, out of Washington D.C. 

This movement was started decades earlier by Chipotle. Chipotle’s goal was to create Mexican food to the masses that was bringing high quality food. Within one month the restaurant was selling over 1,000 burritos per day. By 2017, Chipotle operated more than 2,400 restaurants. 

They use meat from animals that are raised without hormones and promote environmentally friendly practices. For example, they plan to create restaurants that operate completely on electricity. They have also taken steps to ensure better animal living conditions such as all milk cows having access to pasture. Another plan of theirs is to reduce their total greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. One way they plan on doing this is by reducing the amount of materials they create to be compostable or recyclable.

As the market for healthy fast food has risen, other large fast food restaurants are joining them. From 2018 to 2022, McDonalds made their Happy Meals that are designed for kids to be healthier by introducing more fruit, vegetables, and lean protein options to the Happy Meal menu. They also have lowered the average calories, sodium, and added sugar content in a Happy Meal Bundle by 6 percent, 9 percent, and 26 percent respectively. Chick-fil-A has added items such as a kale salad, fruit cup, grilled chicken sandwich, and various other salads. They have also been making more plant-based offerings that are meant to mimic their chicken products. 

According to Assistant Professor of Nutrition Laura Feldman, she would prefer fast-food restaurants to make other changes as well. 

“Supersize meals that are made for individual consumption perhaps should be marketed as family/shared meals,” Feldman said. 

Like Chipotle, Chick-fil-A has plans to transition to recyclable or compost packaging for all its menu items. These changes show that fast food restaurants are adapting to create a healthier way of living for Americans. Consumers want to be healthier, live longer, and the current examples seen today show that fast food will change their ideals based on their customers desires.