Untitled Document

Fast food shops
Information on nutrition not readily available

By Angy Tse

Angy Tse
Angy Tse

Children know little about the nutritional value of fast food.
Parents often treat children to fast food..

There are 55,000 students who suffer from obesity in Hong Kong, according to statistics from
the Student Health Service Centers of the Department of Health.

Obesity is defined as being dangerously fat.

According to the Department of Health, the clinical definitions of obesity and being overweight are based on the Body Mass Index. The Body Mass Index is equal to one’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of his or her height in meters. For Asians, being overweight is defined as having a BMI of 25 to 29.9 and being obese as having a BMI of 30 or above.

“Fast food, which is characterized by high calorie and fat content, but low fibre content, is definitely one of the causes of obesity,” said Dr. Tsang San Fung of the Department of Health’s Central Health Education Unit.

Other causes of obesity include genetic factors, overeating and physical inactivity.

Tony Ng, a member of a healthcare organization called Health Power, said the relationship between fast food and obesity is obvious. Moreover, lack of information about the nutritional value of fast food adds to the problem.

Health Power, which strives to raise public awareness about nutrition, conducted a survey of 572 students about fast food in August. It revealed that more than 90 percent of students had no idea of the caloric and nutritional values of fast food.

“We cannot find nutritional information anywhere in most of the fast food shops in Hong Kong,” said Mr. Ng. “That’s why it’s not surprising that students have little knowledge about the energy value of fast food.”

Of all fast food shops in Hong Kong, McDonald’s is the only one that has issued nutritional leaflets. Called McDonald’s Nutrition Facts, it lists the nutrients of their major menu items. These leaflets can be obtained in McDonald’s restaurants.

“Few people have heard about this leaflet, and it is not easily available in the restaurants,” Mr. Ng said. “You have to ask the restaurant’s manager for one.”

Lai Kwok Wai of Tai Po, a 9-year-old primary student who was eating a fried chicken wing in a fast food shop, did not know how many calories the chicken wing contained.

“I have heard of calories, but I don’t know what that means,” Lai said.

Another student from Tai Po, Bruce Lau, aged 7, also said he did not know what calories are. He said he loves to go to fast food shops because he really likes french fries.

“Ice-cream and fried chicken wings also taste good,” he said, noshing a snack.

According to Health Power, an average order of french fries contains 450 kilocalories while an ice cream cone contains 570 kilocalories. A McDonald’s set meal contains calories that are equal to that of three bowls of rice.

Figures from Health Power showed that more than half of the number of students interviewed would like to buy promoted items like ice-cream in addition to their set meals.

A set meal and an ice cream make up a total of 2,000 kilocalories. This exceeds the amount needed by a 9-year-old child for a whole day.

Mr. Ng said that the recommended daily allowance of calories for children aged 7 to 9 is 1,900 kilocalories. For children aged 10 to 15, the amount is 2,500 kilocalories.

“Obesity can lead to emotional problems.

“Most obese children feel embarrassed or even ashamed when called ‘fatty’.”

In light of this, Health Power suggests that fast food shops list the fat content and the nutritional values of their food on menus.

Health Power has sent letters to six fast food chains asking for nutritional information on their food. The six fast food chain shops are McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Café de Coral, Fairwood, Maxim’s and Pizza Hut. Only Café de Coral and Fairwood replied. The others did not respond.

Mr. Ng admitted that issuing a nutritional leaflet might cause a negative image for fast food shops, but he insisted that it is the fast food shops’ reponsibility to let customers know.

“Slogans like ‘Smoking is hazardous to life’ appear in every cigarette advertisement. Therefore, why don’t we have the caloric value and fat content on menus?

“It is not difficult for fast food shops to provide such information. Their refusals show their unawareness of the obesity problem caused by fast food.”

He suggested the government set up a policy to encourage fast food shops to list the caloric and nutritional values of their food.

Moreover, he said nutritional value charts in Chinese should be put on the websites of fast food shops. The websites he has visited so far are all in English. He wondered how primary students were able to understand terms like “carbohydrate” and “cholesterol”.

Nevertheless, the obesity problem cannot merely be attributed to fast food shops. Parents and students cannot shirk their responsibilities.

Health Power found that parents are ignorant of the nutritional value of fast food. Prof. Georgia Guldan of the Department of Food and Nutritional Science at The Chinese University of Hong Kong said many students know something about nutrition, but they do not really care.

“For example, research by our department found that 84 percent of students knew plain water was the healthiest drink, but only 30 percent of them liked drinking water. Many others preferred boxed fruit drinks, Yakult and soft drinks, which are high in sugar and coloringShe added that lack of exercise is also one of the main causes of obesity.

“Hong Kong students take too much energy in, but do not put enough energy out,” she said. “It is important to strike a balance between energy intake and release.

“Most Hong Kong students like engaging in sedimentary activities like playing computer games, watching television and studying. They lack active exercise to help them get rid of the excess fat.”

Regarding solutions to the obesity problem, she advised students to eat more vegetables when eating out and to consider the nutritional value before buying drinks.

“They should buy plain water instead of soft drinks,” she said.

Health Power advises students to maintain a “three low, one high diet”, that is, a diet with low fat, low sugar, low salt and high fibre content.

Both Prof. Guldan and Mr. Ng said schools can help solve the obesity problem.

“Parents and students should be more educated on this issue,” said Prof. Guldan.

“Schools can invite healthcare professionals to give talks on fast food nutrition to students and parents,” said Mr.Ng.

“If the government is willing to set up a policy which encourages fast food shops to list the caloric and nutritional value of their food on menus, students will be able to choose their food according to the food pyramid, which is an outline of what to eat every day based on the dietary guidelines.

“Students can therefore choose healthier diets for themselves.

“This is the first step to alleviate the obesity problem in Hong Kong.”

Angy Tse

Nutritional leaflets can help students choose healthier food.

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Angy Tse	Angy Tse

Children know little about the nutritional value of fast food.	Parents often treat children to fast food..
There are 55,000 students who suffer from obesity in Hong Kong, according to statistics from the Student Health Service Centers of the Department of Health. Obesity is defined as being dangerously fat. According to the Department of Health, the clinical definitions of obesity and being overweight are based on the Body Mass Index. The Body Mass Index is equal to one’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of his or her height in meters. For Asians, being overweight is defined as having a BMI of 25 to 29.9 and being obese as having a BMI of 30 or above. “Fast food, which is characterized by high calorie and fat content, but low fibre content, is definitely one of the causes of obesity,” said Dr. Tsang San Fung of the Department of Health’s Central Health Education Unit. Other causes of obesity include genetic factors, overeating and physical inactivity. Tony Ng, a member of a healthcare organization called Health Power, said the relationship between fast food and obesity is obvious. Moreover, lack of information about the nutritional value of fast food adds to the problem. Health Power, which strives to raise public awareness about nutrition, conducted a survey of 572 students about fast food in August. It revealed that more than 90 percent of students had no idea of the caloric and nutritional values of fast food. “We cannot find nutritional information anywhere in most of the fast food shops in Hong Kong,” said Mr. Ng. “That’s why it’s not surprising that students have little knowledge about the energy value of fast food.” Of all fast food shops in Hong Kong, McDonald’s is the only one that has issued nutritional leaflets. Called McDonald’s Nutrition Facts, it lists the nutrients of their major menu items. These leaflets can be obtained in McDonald’s restaurants. “Few people have heard about this leaflet, and it is not easily available in the restaurants,” Mr. Ng said. “You have to ask the restaurant’s manager for one.” Lai Kwok Wai of Tai Po, a 9-year-old primary student who was eating a fried chicken wing in a fast food shop, did not know how many calories the chicken wing contained. “I have heard of calories, but I don’t know what that means,” Lai said. Another student from Tai Po, Bruce Lau, aged 7, also said he did not know what calories are. He said he loves to go to fast food shops because he really likes french fries. “Ice-cream and fried chicken wings also taste good,” he said, noshing a snack. According to Health Power, an average order of french fries contains 450 kilocalories while an ice cream cone contains 570 kilocalories. A McDonald’s set meal contains calories that are equal to that of three bowls of rice. Figures from Health Power showed that more than half of the number of students interviewed would like to buy promoted items like ice-cream in addition to their set meals. A set meal and an ice cream make up a total of 2,000 kilocalories. This exceeds the amount needed by a 9-year-old child for a whole day. Mr. Ng said that the recommended daily allowance of calories for children aged 7 to 9 is 1,900 kilocalories. For children aged 10 to 15, the amount is 2,500 kilocalories. “Obesity can lead to emotional problems. “Most obese children feel embarrassed or even ashamed when called ‘fatty’.” In light of this, Health Power suggests that fast food shops list the fat content and the nutritional values of their food on menus. Health Power has sent letters to six fast food chains asking for nutritional information on their food. The six fast food chain shops are McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Café de Coral, Fairwood, Maxim’s and Pizza Hut. Only Café de Coral and Fairwood replied. The others did not respond. Mr. Ng admitted that issuing a nutritional leaflet might cause a negative image for fast food shops, but he insisted that it is the fast food shops’ reponsibility to let customers know. “Slogans like ‘Smoking is hazardous to life’ appear in every cigarette advertisement. Therefore, why don’t we have the caloric value and fat content on menus? “It is not difficult for fast food shops to provide such information. Their refusals show their unawareness of the obesity problem caused by fast food.” He suggested the government set up a policy to encourage fast food shops to list the caloric and nutritional values of their food. Moreover, he said nutritional value charts in Chinese should be put on the websites of fast food shops. The websites he has visited so far are all in English. He wondered how primary students were able to understand terms like “carbohydrate” and “cholesterol”. Nevertheless, the obesity problem cannot merely be attributed to fast food shops. Parents and students cannot shirk their responsibilities. Health Power found that parents are ignorant of the nutritional value of fast food. Prof. Georgia Guldan of the Department of Food and Nutritional Science at The Chinese University of Hong Kong said many students know something about nutrition, but they do not really care. “For example, research by our department found that 84 percent of students knew plain water was the healthiest drink, but only 30 percent of them liked drinking water. Many others preferred boxed fruit drinks, Yakult and soft drinks, which are high in sugar and coloringShe added that lack of exercise is also one of the main causes of obesity. “Hong Kong students take too much energy in, but do not put enough energy out,” she said. “It is important to strike a balance between energy intake and release. “Most Hong Kong students like engaging in sedimentary activities like playing computer games, watching television and studying. They lack active exercise to help them get rid of the excess fat.” Regarding solutions to the obesity problem, she advised students to eat more vegetables when eating out and to consider the nutritional value before buying drinks. “They should buy plain water instead of soft drinks,” she said. Health Power advises students to maintain a “three low, one high diet”, that is, a diet with low fat, low sugar, low salt and high fibre content. Both Prof. Guldan and Mr. Ng said schools can help solve the obesity problem. “Parents and students should be more educated on this issue,” said Prof. Guldan. “Schools can invite healthcare professionals to give talks on fast food nutrition to students and parents,” said Mr.Ng. “If the government is willing to set up a policy which encourages fast food shops to list the caloric and nutritional value of their food on menus, students will be able to choose their food according to the food pyramid, which is an outline of what to eat every day based on the dietary guidelines. “Students can therefore choose healthier diets for themselves. “This is the first step to alleviate the obesity problem in Hong Kong.”