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Buyers Beware: TV Station Finds Low-Fat Menu Not So Low-Fat
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Published: May 22, 2008
Jerry: Maybe your yogurt isn't so non-fat.
Kramer: Oh, guess again, Tubby!
Elaine: Jerry, there's got to be a way to find that out.
Jerry: There must be some kind of lab that would do that kind of thing.
- "Seinfeld": The Non-Fat Yogurt Episode
When restaurant patrons order low-calorie, low-fat items off the menu, they expect the food to be, well, low-calorie and low-fat.
But like the "Seinfeld" episode where Jerry and Elaine gained weight from eating yogurt labeled low-fat, healthy-food choices at five national chain restaurants have been found to pack more calories and fat than their menus claim.
Of 20 menu selections sent for testing by ABC Action News reporter Wendy Ryan and colleagues at sister stations in seven cities, 17 contained more calories and fat than claimed. The stations hired an EPA-certified laboratory to test "healthy meals" ordered at Chili's, Applebee's, Taco Bell, Macaroni Grill and The Cheesecake Factory.
The results are disturbing and worthy of review by members of Congress and leaders of the Food and Drug Administration.
The federal nutrition-labeling law gives restaurants some wiggle room on nutritional information, allowing the numbers to be off by as much as 20 percent. But ABC's "The Menu Test" found some meals had twice as many calories as reported and three times as much fat.
These results suggest the labeling law is hardly worth the paper it's printed on.
Chili's menu, for example, claims the "Guiltless Grilled Salmon" has 480 calories and 14 grams of fat, though a lab test found it had 664 calories and 35 fat grams.
At Macaroni Grill, the "Skinny Chicken" was said to have 500 calories and 6 grams of fat, but the analysis found it had 1,022 calories and 49 fat grams.
And at Taco Bell, the "Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Taco" claims to have 160 calories and 4.5 fat grams, but the test found it had 297 calories and 19.6 fat grams.
A handful of tested food items contained the advertised nutritional amounts, but the vast majority did not, which is why consumers should have little confidence in menu postings.
And that's a shame, given the obesity epidemic this nation faces and the desire by many to eat healthy foods when they go out.
Most of the restaurant chains were upfront in addressing the findings, which gives consumers hope.
Brinker International, which owns Macaroni Grill and Chili's, said, in part, "We will be working to reinforce these menu standards and retrain heart-of-house team members on item preparation."
Applebee's said it regularly tests menu items and has a 94 percent compliance rate. But isn't that a little like selling an 11-inch ruler? The results still come up short.
Howard Gordon, spokesman for The Cheesecake Factory, was the least reassuring. "Our menu is correct. All of our salads were under 590 (calories,)" he said. "Customers could get it with the dressing on the side and it is up to the individual."
Actually, the report says The Cheesecake Factory's "Pear & Endive Salad" had 641 calories and 49.7 grams of fat - hardly what most would consider a healthy alternative.
Giving false information to consumers is bad for business and public health. These findings deserve swift follow-up by federal officials and the companies themselves.
Jerry: Well, the yogurt verdict is in.... FAT!
Kramer: Hey, I'll tell you what, chubs. If that yogurt has fat in it, I will put myself on an all-yogurt diet for a week. Let's start the insanity. Mmmmmm.... giddyup!
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