Grellin: A new website ranking the top chain restaurant menus on healthiness

INTRODUCTION: Consumers and policy makers do not have an efficient and objective way to analyze the health of chain restaurant menus. APPROACH: The New York City Department of Health Menustat database compiles nutrient data (e.g. calories, saturated fat, sodium, protein, fiber) on the top chain restaurants in the USA. To determine the amount of fruit, vegetable, and nut (FVN) amounts in menu items, we utilized computer science techniques based on crowd sourcing. We ran the Menustat nutrient data and FVN amounts through the modified Oxford Nutrient Profiling Criteria, which assigns points to a food item based on its nutrient content as well as FVN content. Each menu item received a Nutrient Profile Index (NPI) Score, between 0 and 100 (poorest to highest nutritional quality). Foods with a score of 64 or higher, that contained less than or equal to 700 calories per entrée were considered healthy. Restaurants were then ranked according to the proportion of menu items that were determined healthy. RESULTS: Based on preliminary analyses using only nutrient content points, the median proportion of healthy items for 66 chains was 31.9 (range 0-78.9).  We will present the overall rankings for the top chain restaurants based on the full scoring method. DISCUSSION: By combining established nutritional analyses with innovative computer science methods, researchers can objectively analyze the healthiness of restaurant food offerings. These rankings can thus provide consumers more complete information on healthier dining options and allow policy makers to evaluate initiatives that intend to change menu offerings.