Volume 11 — December 24, 2014
COMMUNITY CASE STUDY
Improving Children’s Menus in Community Restaurants: Best Food for Families, Infants, and Toddlers (Best Food FITS) Intervention, South Central Texas, 2010–2014
The preintervention menu includes 1 child’s meal (1 piece of chicken and a small drink for $2.99). The Best Food for Families, Infants, and Toddlers (Best Food FITS) menu includes an entrée (chicken breast or taco), a choice of side (corn on the cob, seasonal fruit, fruit cup, guacamole, black beans, coleslaw, or rice) and a drink (bottled water or 100% juice) for $1.99.
Figure 1. Sample Preintervention and Best Food for Families, Infants, and Toddlers (Best Food FITS) Menu from a Mexican Food Restaurant in San Marcos, Texas. The Best Food FITS menu includes the a) Best Food FITS logo, b) the popular Broccolicious character, and c) other characters. All graphics were created by the marketing department at Texas State University.
Timeline for Best Food for Families, Infants, and Toddlers (Best Food FITS) intervention with restaurants. After excluding establishments that do not serve children meals or were going out of business, the intervention began with 135 restaurants. Of those, in 2012, 17 restaurants participated. In 2014, 12 restaurants were still participating.
Figure 2. Timeline for the Best Food for Families, Infants and Toddlers (Best Food FITS) Restaurant Intervention, San Marcos, Texas, 2010–2014. Excluded establishments were a) food stores, bars, bowling alleys and b) coffee shops and restaurants going out of business. In 2014, c) 2 Best Food FITS restaurants had gone out of business and 3 had withdrawn.
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