Americans have sharply reduced their fast food consumption in recent years according to a new study that is reigniting a simmering debate about causes and impact of consumers’ shifting dietary habits.
Calories consumed from fast food — known for its quick preparation, usually cheap prices and questionable healthiness — decreased from 14.1% during 2013-2014 to 11.7% between August 2021 and August 2023, according to a study set to be released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About a third of those 20 and older consumed fast food on a given day.
Some Long Island health professionals said they are skeptical of the results as obesity remains an epidemic.
“I’m not seeing it,” said Dr. Lori Berman, a pediatrician at Allied Pediatrics in Valley Stream. “What I’m finding as a trend in my patients is that children mimic [their] parents’ eating habits.”
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- Caloric intake from fast food among American adults has decreased from 14.1% to 11.7% between 2013-2014 and 2021-2023, with variations by age group.
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While some Long Island food nutrition experts said they’re not seeing less fast food consumption, others credited social media with making healthy eating more popular.
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Some families have moved from fast food to ultra-processed or convenience foods, but these alternatives offer little to no advantage.
Parents, she said, are “basically pleasing their children” with fast food. She also said that limited budgets and busy lifestyles make fast food even more alluring.
The new report, from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, didn’t draw any conclusions about the decrease. But researchers noted fast food consumption “has been associated with an increased intake of calories, fat, sodium, and sugar, and with a lower intake of fiber, calcium, iron, fruits, dairy, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.”
The study did not address the impacts of a wave of injectable diet drugs like Ozempic sweeping the country, causing a growing number of adults to dramatically reduce calorie consumption.
While some Long Island food nutrition experts said they’re not seeing less fast food consumption, others credited social media with making healthy eating more popular.
Alyssa Morando, a registered dietitian at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson Station, said she believes that young adults view healthy eating as “trendy.”
“Kids, young adults, teens, they love trends. They go on social media, they see they have these healthier sodas,” Morando said. Prebiotic soda brands such as Olipop and Poppi together have over 1.2 million followers on TikTok.
Morando encourages discussing the benefits of eating a healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, and watching portion sizes of fast food, as opposed to eliminating it altogether.
The results of the study mirror a decline in sales reported by fast food giants like McDonald’s. The company’s sales dropped in the beginning of the year, marking the second consecutive quarter of declines, according to its latest earnings report. Same-store sales dropped 3.6%, the biggest drop since the COVID pandemic lockdown.
For their part, McDonald’s leaders are blaming the decline on economic conditions, not consumers seeking alternatives.
“Consumers today are grappling with uncertainty,” McDonald’s chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a statement, adding that he has “confidence in our ability to navigate even the toughest of market conditions.”
Domino’s Pizza and Burger King have reported similar earnings slumps, as has the fast-casual chain Chipotle.
Cleopatra Tsanis-Tsirnikas, a dietitian at Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital, said she found that while individuals may be moving away from fast food, they may not be consuming significantly healthier alternatives.
“There’s some people that will shift to more homemade things, which tend to be a good thing because they’re less processed,” she said. “But people who are struggling economically will turn to more convenience foods that are more ultra-processed.”
Tsanis-Tsirnikas said, however, that options for food-insecure individuals are becoming more widely available.
“If somebody’s financially unable to get meals or fresh produce, there are programs out there,” she said.
“Food pantries are becoming a more welcoming place without stigma, where it’s set up more like a supermarket so people can come in and feel comfortable as if they’re shopping for food instead of getting it for free, because there’s a stigma with that,” she added.
The CDC survey also found older age groups took in a lower percentage of calories from fast food. Adults 20-39 consumed 15.2% of calories from fast food on a given day, while the figures were 11.9% for those 40-59 and 7.6% for people 60 and older.
A separate CDC study found that the average percentage of calories consumed from fast food decreased significantly among 2- to 11-year-olds between 2013-2014 and August 2021-August 2023.
Outside a Commack Whole Foods store on Wednesday, shoppers expressed discontent with fast food.
“I try not to [eat fast food], as much as possible,” said Joann Lawrence, 52, from Valley Stream. “I think it’s less healthy now. Cheap prices equals cheap food.”
Kristin Shapiro, 44 of Commack, doesn’t eat fast food. “My family eats mostly healthy stuff that I cook from scratch,” she said.