Combo meals and discounts on fast food encourage us to consume more junk

Australians enjoy eating out, particularly fast food. A third of the household budget is spent on food that’s prepared outside of home . Most of us consume it two to three times per week.

Fast food consumption is high in Australia, which poses a serious threat to health. The marketing strategies of the fast-food industry are therefore worth paying close attention to.

Today, we published a new study that examined the price promotions offered in Australia by the largest fast-food chains.

The “limited-time” offers and “combination meals” from major chain restaurants are strong incentives to people overconsume unhealthy foods and beverages.

Governments need to take action now to stop the promotion of unhealthy foods.

Fast food consumption

Fast food outlets represent nearly half of all the revenue generated by the eating-out sector.

More than 80% of Australians over the age of 14 regularly consume fast food. The highest number of fast food consumers are teenagers.

Fast food is typically low in nutrients and high in energy. It has been linked with poor nutrition and obesity.

What we did during this study

Over a period of three months, we monitored the promotions and price reductions offered by major retailers. This was done by visiting the stores, their websites, and apps.

We have included all limited-time offers where an item can be purchased at a discounted price for a short period. Examples include KFC’s “$8 Bucket Mondays” and Nando’s “$12 WTF tenders”.

Also, we looked at the combo deals or “combination meals” that were on offer. These deals provide a bundle discount if you buy multiple items. Combination deals usually consist of three items: a main dish (such as a burger), an accompaniment (such as chips), and a beverage. For the drink and side, there are often different sizes and options (such as medium and small).

Then, we assessed the quality of the products on sale using criteria that are endorsed by the government.

The amount of energy included in each offer (kilojoules or kJ), and the recommended daily energy intake for adults, which is 8700kJ, were also compared.

Promotions on junk food prices are prevalent

We discovered that major fast-food chains have a variety of promotions. Over 500 combo offers and nearly 200 limited-time offers were observed across the ten fast food chains.

Limited-time offers offer an average of 42% off. Combination deals offer price reductions up to 45% compared to the individual item price.

The limited-time offers all applied to unhealthy products, making it hard to find a good deal while avoiding unhealthy food.

Read more: No, it’s not just a lack of control that makes Australians overweight. Here’s what’s driving our unhealthy food habits

Combo deals are often very high in kilojoules

Some deals provided an astounding 90% of the recommended daily energy intake of adults.

Energy content in combo deals varies greatly depending on which side dishes and drinks are selected.

The average energy content per combo deal would be almost 6,000kJ if the most high-energy options were chosen (such as large potato chips and a 600ml sugary beverage). This is about 70% of an adult’s recommended daily energy intake.