title: Strategies and willingness of rural restaurateurs to promote healthy foods.
abstract: Nutritionists need to understand the willingness of restaurateurs to prepare and sell healthy foods, as Canadians frequently eat meals at food services. The lunch trade restaurants under the jurisdiction of a rural and semi-rural Alberta health unit were surveyed by telephone. Two thirds of the restaurants were family-style and had 100 seats or fewer. Five of 20 healthy foods were rated as difficult to serve, due to: lack of customer demand; lack of food availability; and the need to maintain the quality of fresh vegetables, fruits and milk products. Many restaurateurs are willing to change internally by training staff (88%) and by trying new recipes (84%). Staff education materials perceived to be helpful by 80% of restaurateurs included video/audio tapes, information sheets and posters. Restaurateurs were most willing to use menu inserts (76%), table tents (68%) and door decals (72%) to promote healthy foods. Nutrition services should focus on how restaurants can make changes to include healthy foods through food preparation and menu items.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Division, Calgary Health Services, AB.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Benson
mesh_terms: D000416:Alberta; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005518:Food Preferences; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D012147:Restaurants; D012423:Rural Health