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Lost In Fast Food Land, Part II - Wendy's
by Laura

Thankfully, a lot of fast food chains have begun cleaning up their act. But we were curious as to just how "clean" these chains are becoming. Can you grab a healthy meal from one of the big names in fast food these days? This article is the second in a series on fast food restaurants. (To read last month's article on McDonald's, click here.) This month we feature one of my favorite fast food chains (since I used to live near their corporate headquarters!):

Wendy’s

It surprised me that Wendy's, the first fast food restaurant chain to develop the healthy-for-you concept of the salad bar, has been relatively slow to jump on the healthy-menu act which McDonald's started a few years ago. Just last month, Wendy's announced that it will start using non-hydrogenated oil to fry up its chicken and French fries. What took them so long, I wonder? Of course, they do offer a variety of non-fried, healthier menu choices, and have for quite a while: instead of French fries, for example, you can choose a side salad or baked potato with fat-free margarine for your side item. Kids meal choices are healthier now, too - instead of French fries, kids can choose yogurt & granola or mandarin oranges for their side item.

Helping the Community: While we're on the topic of kids, Wendy's community involvement in this area is definitely worth a mention. Since founder Dave Thomas was an adopted child, his company focuses on charitable giving and sponsorship of pro-kid events, from golf tournaments to support the fight against childhood cancer, to helping recruiters find homes for foster care children. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption awarded nearly $2 million in grants in 2004 to adoptive organizations which affected thousands of waiting children (according to their website). Child welfare is an arena where Wendy’s clearly seems to shine.

On the environmental side, Wendy's also supports animal welfare. In fact, they maintain strict animal handling requirements, and actually audit their beef, pork, and chicken suppliers twice a year to ensure the criteria are being met. According to their website, "The results of these audits are evaluated with our expert animal welfare advisors, who have extensive experience in humane animal care and handling practices. Most importantly, companies that fail to meet our strict guidelines are terminated as approved suppliers of Wendy's." George Watts, President of the National Chicken Council, has said: "The measurable criteria and detail of Wendy's poultry welfare program are being used as a benchmark as we work to strengthen and expand the National Chicken Council auditing guidelines." Wendy's also uses local beef & produce suppliers whenever possible.

So while you're standing there staring at the menu choices, it's nice to know that the revenue Wendy's generates helps to make life better for kids and cows, too!

Nutrition: Now, back to those menu choices: after browsing their online menu (which has capabilities to mix and match, similar to McDonald's), I found the choices somewhat limited. Don't get me wrong - there are plenty of healthy salads to choose from (not to mention those yummy baked potatoes), but when I looked into the nutritional value of some of my favorite choices, I was surprised to find that they were not quite as healthy as I perceived them to be.

For example, while their new Frescatta deli-style sandwiches are fresh and delicious, I was disappointed to learn that they contain significantly more calories, fat, and sodium than your average Jr. Cheeseburger! And here I thought I was being superior by ordering something that didn't look like fast food.

Still, there are healthy things you can order. Here are just a few ideas. For more, check out Wendy's own recommendations at: www.wendys.com.