Karlene Lukovitz / Mediapost.com / MarketingDaily / July 6, 2009
A new campaign co-sponsored by National Geographic Kids magazine and Subway features magazine-branded toys included in the Subway Fresh Fit for Kids meals and a contest to win a trip for four to Alaska.
The toys, available while supplies last, include exploration-themed items such as a compass, an endangered species expedition map, and an adventure journal.
Kids ages six to 14 who are U.S. citizens may enter the trip contest on kids.nationaleographic.com by writing a short (100 words or less) personal essay describing their greatest adventure.
The campaign, which launched Monday, is being supported by an integrated advertising program that includes a cover wrap and themed double-sided explorer activity cards in the magazine, as well as custom puzzler games and other content on the campaign's microsite.
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109259
Friday, July 17, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Fast Food: Would You Like 1,000 Calories with That?
Fast Food: Would You Like 1,000 Calories with That?
Sean Gregory, TIME Magazine, Jun 29, 2009
How sloppy is that triple Whopper with cheese? It
has 1,250 calories, or 62.5% of the recommended
2,000-calories-per-day diet. The Fried Macaroni
and Cheese from the Cheesecake Factory? Try 1,570
calories ? according to health experts, you're
better off eating a stick of butter.
If public-health advocates, and now the Senate,
get their way, when you look at a menu from a
chain restaurant, those calorie counts will be
staring you down. "Order me if you dare," the
mighty Quesadilla Burger from Applebee's (1,440
calories) may entreat. Spurred by the passage of
a slew of state and local menu-labeling laws, on
June 10 the Senate reached a bipartisan agreement
to include a federal menu-labeling law as part of
comprehensive health-care reform. Of course, who
knows when that hornet's nest will come up for a
vote. But in the meantime, health proponents are
likening the Senate provision to legal
requirements for a clothing label ? i.e., what
it's made of. "Isn't information that can help
you avoid obesity and diabetes as important as
knowing how to wash your blouse?" says Margot
Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the
nonpartisan Center for Science in the Public
Interest. (See how many calories are in the
Dunkin' Donuts Sausage, Supreme Omelet & Cheese Bagel.)
Until recently, the restaurant industry had been
pushing a federal bill that would require chains
with 20 or more restaurants nationwide to post
calorie information somewhere near the point of
purchase but not on the menu itself. The industry
claimed menu postings would be a costly
logistical burden and would clutter valuable real
estate on the menus. Not surprisingly, chains
won't voice the most obvious argument against
high-profile calorie counts. "They're concerned
that consumers will be turned off by what they
see," says Tom Forte, restaurant analyst at the
Telsey Advisory Group, a consulting firm.
In the end, the industry backed the Senate's
on-the-menu provision in an effort to pre-empt a
patchwork of state and local statutes (13 have
passed, and 30 or so more have been introduced).
Such legislation would prevent a municipality
from requiring both calories and, say, saturated
fat to be tallied on menus. (The fried macaroni
and cheese at the Cheesecake Factory has a
staggering 69 grams of saturated fat ? more than
you should eat in 3? days.) (See how many
calories are in the McDonald's Chocolate Triple Thick Shake.)
As the menu-labeling momentum keeps surging, will
such policy really improve eating habits? Well,
it can do no worse than what's out there. In a
study published in the May issue of the American
Journal of Public Health, researchers observed
4,311 patrons of McDonald's, Burger King,
Starbucks and Au Bon Pain to see if they accessed
in-store nutrition data. The info was not on the
menu board but in a pamphlet, on a wall poster or
an on-site computer. Only six, or 0.1%, of the
patrons looked at the numbers. Sure, a few more
may have already studied the information. But six
out of 4,311? If restaurants are sincere about
health, they need to put calorie counts on the
menu, straight in the customers' sight lines.
(See how many calories are in the Starbucks Hazelnut Signature Hot Chocolate.)
So far, mandatory on-the-menu calorie counts have
been implemented in only three localities:
Washington's King County (which includes
Seattle), New York City and Westchester County, a
suburb of New York. And since none of these
provisions have been in place for more than a
year, nutritionists have yet to gather empirical
proof that they work. But some science suggests
that prominently displayed calorie counts steer
purchases. In 2007, researchers in New York City
examined consumer eating habits at Subway, which
voluntarily posted calorie info in its stores.
This study, also published in the American
Journal of Public Health, reported that Subway
patrons who pondered the calorie information
purchased 52 fewer calories than those who
didn't. Further, according to a survey conducted
in February by Technomic, a food-industry
consultancy, 82% of New York City residents said
the new highly visible nutrition information has
affected their ordering. Of those people, 71%
said they sought out lower-calorie options, and
51% said they no longer ordered certain items.
(See how many calories are in the Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries.)
While such statistics are promising, menu counts
are no silver bullet. Martin Lindstrom, the noted
consumer psychologist and author of Buyology:
Truths and Lies About Why We Buy, fears that
consumers will tune out the numbers long term.
"Eventually, calorie counts will just be wallpaper," he says.
But forced disclosure could lead more restaurants
to change their offerings. A report by New York
City health officials noted that since
menu-labeling went into effect last summer, some
chains have lowered the calorie counts on certain
items. For example, in March 2007, a Chicken Club
sandwich at Wendy's was listed as being 650
calories. In June 2008, as the New York law
kicked in, the item was 540 calories ? a 17%
drop. (Wendy's used a lower-calorie mayo to
reduce the count, but a spokesman insists
menu-labeling played no part in the move. Call it
a happy coincidence.) (See how many calories are
in the Taco Bell Chicken Ranch Fully Loaded Taco Salad.)
Meanwhile, Yum! Brands, parent company of
Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell,
has promised to post calorie information on its
menus by January 2011. If the creator of KFC's
Famous Bowls ? fried chicken, mashed potatoes,
corn, gravy and shredded cheese packed together
for your gut-busting pleasure ? volunteers to
share these numbers, what excuse can other chains
claim for not following suit, particularly if
Washington lags in forcing them to do so? The
writing is on the wall. And perhaps, as a result,
fewer calories will be in your stomach.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1905509,00.html?artId=1905509?contType=article?chn=us
Related
Top
10 Worst Fast Food Meals
9
Kid Foods to Avoid
The
Science of Appetite
Sean Gregory, TIME Magazine, Jun 29, 2009
How sloppy is that triple Whopper with cheese? It
has 1,250 calories, or 62.5% of the recommended
2,000-calories-per-day diet. The Fried Macaroni
and Cheese from the Cheesecake Factory? Try 1,570
calories ? according to health experts, you're
better off eating a stick of butter.
If public-health advocates, and now the Senate,
get their way, when you look at a menu from a
chain restaurant, those calorie counts will be
staring you down. "Order me if you dare," the
mighty Quesadilla Burger from Applebee's (1,440
calories) may entreat. Spurred by the passage of
a slew of state and local menu-labeling laws, on
June 10 the Senate reached a bipartisan agreement
to include a federal menu-labeling law as part of
comprehensive health-care reform. Of course, who
knows when that hornet's nest will come up for a
vote. But in the meantime, health proponents are
likening the Senate provision to legal
requirements for a clothing label ? i.e., what
it's made of. "Isn't information that can help
you avoid obesity and diabetes as important as
knowing how to wash your blouse?" says Margot
Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the
nonpartisan Center for Science in the Public
Interest. (See how many calories are in the
Dunkin' Donuts Sausage, Supreme Omelet & Cheese Bagel.)
Until recently, the restaurant industry had been
pushing a federal bill that would require chains
with 20 or more restaurants nationwide to post
calorie information somewhere near the point of
purchase but not on the menu itself. The industry
claimed menu postings would be a costly
logistical burden and would clutter valuable real
estate on the menus. Not surprisingly, chains
won't voice the most obvious argument against
high-profile calorie counts. "They're concerned
that consumers will be turned off by what they
see," says Tom Forte, restaurant analyst at the
Telsey Advisory Group, a consulting firm.
In the end, the industry backed the Senate's
on-the-menu provision in an effort to pre-empt a
patchwork of state and local statutes (13 have
passed, and 30 or so more have been introduced).
Such legislation would prevent a municipality
from requiring both calories and, say, saturated
fat to be tallied on menus. (The fried macaroni
and cheese at the Cheesecake Factory has a
staggering 69 grams of saturated fat ? more than
you should eat in 3? days.) (See how many
calories are in the McDonald's Chocolate Triple Thick Shake.)
As the menu-labeling momentum keeps surging, will
such policy really improve eating habits? Well,
it can do no worse than what's out there. In a
study published in the May issue of the American
Journal of Public Health, researchers observed
4,311 patrons of McDonald's, Burger King,
Starbucks and Au Bon Pain to see if they accessed
in-store nutrition data. The info was not on the
menu board but in a pamphlet, on a wall poster or
an on-site computer. Only six, or 0.1%, of the
patrons looked at the numbers. Sure, a few more
may have already studied the information. But six
out of 4,311? If restaurants are sincere about
health, they need to put calorie counts on the
menu, straight in the customers' sight lines.
(See how many calories are in the Starbucks Hazelnut Signature Hot Chocolate.)
So far, mandatory on-the-menu calorie counts have
been implemented in only three localities:
Washington's King County (which includes
Seattle), New York City and Westchester County, a
suburb of New York. And since none of these
provisions have been in place for more than a
year, nutritionists have yet to gather empirical
proof that they work. But some science suggests
that prominently displayed calorie counts steer
purchases. In 2007, researchers in New York City
examined consumer eating habits at Subway, which
voluntarily posted calorie info in its stores.
This study, also published in the American
Journal of Public Health, reported that Subway
patrons who pondered the calorie information
purchased 52 fewer calories than those who
didn't. Further, according to a survey conducted
in February by Technomic, a food-industry
consultancy, 82% of New York City residents said
the new highly visible nutrition information has
affected their ordering. Of those people, 71%
said they sought out lower-calorie options, and
51% said they no longer ordered certain items.
(See how many calories are in the Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries.)
While such statistics are promising, menu counts
are no silver bullet. Martin Lindstrom, the noted
consumer psychologist and author of Buyology:
Truths and Lies About Why We Buy, fears that
consumers will tune out the numbers long term.
"Eventually, calorie counts will just be wallpaper," he says.
But forced disclosure could lead more restaurants
to change their offerings. A report by New York
City health officials noted that since
menu-labeling went into effect last summer, some
chains have lowered the calorie counts on certain
items. For example, in March 2007, a Chicken Club
sandwich at Wendy's was listed as being 650
calories. In June 2008, as the New York law
kicked in, the item was 540 calories ? a 17%
drop. (Wendy's used a lower-calorie mayo to
reduce the count, but a spokesman insists
menu-labeling played no part in the move. Call it
a happy coincidence.) (See how many calories are
in the Taco Bell Chicken Ranch Fully Loaded Taco Salad.)
Meanwhile, Yum! Brands, parent company of
Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell,
has promised to post calorie information on its
menus by January 2011. If the creator of KFC's
Famous Bowls ? fried chicken, mashed potatoes,
corn, gravy and shredded cheese packed together
for your gut-busting pleasure ? volunteers to
share these numbers, what excuse can other chains
claim for not following suit, particularly if
Washington lags in forcing them to do so? The
writing is on the wall. And perhaps, as a result,
fewer calories will be in your stomach.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1905509,00.html?artId=1905509?contType=article?chn=us
Related
10 Worst Fast Food Meals
Kid Foods to Avoid
Science of Appetite
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