Obesity crisis drives QSRs to lucrative health crusade

Operators are putting out healthier menus to help curb obesity and rake in the profits.

The Australian national health survey confirmed the growing obesity problem -- more than 40% of adult males and 30% of adult females were overweight, and roughly 25% of males and 24% of females were obese – which has pushed the public to move towards healthier food choices.

With this shift in consumer attitudes, quick service restaurants (QSRs) started developing their own healthy product lines. QSR Media interviewed two such franchises – Baker’s Club and Healthy Habits – who are tapping into this health trend to grow their business.

Low GI Bread
Baker’s Club, a bakery franchise with a growing presence in Queensland, has been focusing on serving bread with a drastically lower Glycemic Index (GI) rating. Low GI breads release glucose more gradually, making them more suitable for diabetes sufferers and even possible enablers of weight loss, according to some recent studies.

“Our ultimate goal is to fight against obesity and to provide the best quality bread on the market. We want to cater for customers with special dietary needs and in doing so provide quality, not just pump out loaves of bread for $1 or $2 that has no nutritional value,” said Christian Coenen, Owner of Baker’s Club.

“In this country you are able to label a product low GI if it is rated under GI55. Most breads on the market are way above this with some only sneaking into Low GI around the GI54 mark. Our new bread is GI17. Our nutritional break downs clearly show we are at the forefront of the industry with our customers in mind,” he added.

Such nutritional distinctions can easily become lost on the average consumer, so Coenen said Baker’s Club attaches flyers which show the breakdown of nutrition information comparing their breads to the regular white breads now on the market. Baker’s Club has even hired a dietician specifically to help then send out accurate and appealing messages that highlight their nutritional advantage.

“A dietician helps us ensure that we are getting the correct messages to our customers and potential customers,” he said. “A dietician will endorse our product which further confirms that we are not like a normal fast food business. Our dietician on board also helps introduce our products to new people and into the minds of the health organizations.”

Despite the painstaking process of producing specialty bread, Baker’s Club said it is managing to do well because its noticeably superior quality allows it to put an acceptable premium on its bread prices. It also helped that the QSR developed a custom delivery system to suit their specific market.

“Yes our breads are more expensive than what customers will find in the supermarket, but they will actually have some benefit to customers. We have recently launched an online ordering system which allows us to deliver our specialty breads locally and interstate via overnight delivery. The response has been terrific and we are currently sending over 400+ loaves to customers all over the country,” said Coenen.

Healthy, But Still Tasty, Sandwiches
Healthy Habits, a sandwich bar franchise with more than 28 stores nationwide, is also harping on its health quotient without compromising on what keeps consumers coming back for more – the taste.

“According to Roy Morgan research conducted last year more than 60% of Australians are overweight or obese. This alarming statistic shows the growing need for convenient, healthy food options. Seventy per cent of Australians say they like to eat healthy food but they won’t compromise on taste. At Healthy Habits we want to show people that healthy food can be delicious too,” said Merrill Pereyra, Managing Director Australia & New Zealand, Healthy Habits.

Healthy Habits is in the process of revamping its menu, and Pereyra said it has also tapped a dietician to help develop its fresh offerings that are in line with the Australian nutrition recommendations and delicious to boot. “Her advice and guidance is invaluable and she also brings to the table years of experience to help us address a nation-wide health problem,” he said.

“Our new menu provides a twist on some of the traditional favorites and uses flavours such as lemon myrtle, pepper berry and macadamias to bring excitement to our wraps, sandwiches and salads,” revealed Pereyra as a sneak preview on what fans can expect to find in the new menu scheduled to launch next month.

With more Australians warming up to the healthy food trend, this might not be as ambitious as it sounds.