July 21/Chicago/PRNewswire -- The recent recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) confirmed what Mintel's research and consumers have already been suggesting: restaurants need healthier menus. Many restaurants have already listened. Between Q2 2009 and Q2 2010 menu items labeled as "healthy" grew 65%, according to Mintel Menu Insights.
The DGAC recommendations also include specific instructions for kids' menus, urging restaurants to include a focus on children, as "prevention of obesity in childhood is the single most powerful public health approach to combating America's obesity epidemic." The 10% increase in menu items that contain fruits or vegetables between Q2 2007 and Q2 2010 reported by Mintel Menu Insights is a start, but restaurants still have a ways to go, Mintel analysts say.