American Dietetic Association News Release - Mall Food
Wednesday, November 26, 1997, 12:01 a.m.
CHICAGO -- The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the busiest shopping days at the country's more than 42,000 shopping centers.And, most shoppers will be eating during their voyage through the localmall, according to The American Dietetic Association (ADA), whichsurveyed shoppers and examined food selections at the nation's ten largest** shopping centers.
ADA member dietitians questioned 100 shoppers at the nation'slargest malls and found that most (52 percent) visit the mall to both eat and shop, 35 percent go just to shop and nine percent go solely to eat. (Four percent were at the mall for purposes other than shopping or eating.)
In addition, the industry experts estimate that 185 million adults shop at malls each month and more than 10 million Americans are employed at shoppingcenters.
"The mall is more than just a place to shop. It's also somewherewe gather, work - and more often than we might realize - eat,"said Felicia Busch, R.D. (registered dietitian), of St. Paul, Minn., whochecked out the offerings at the Mall of America, Bloomington, Minn.,he nation's largest shopping center. Like many of America's shoppingcenters, it has food courts available to mall customers.
ADA found that all of the ten largest U.S. malls offered bagels, pizza, made-to-order sandwiches, baked potatoes, frozen yogurt, bakery items, bottled water, orange and other juices, and grilled or roasted chicken.
Half the malls surveyed had whole fruits, such as bananas, oranges or apples readily available to shoppers, and only one mallhad no fruit available. ADA found six of the ten malls had vegetables and veggie burgers, while seven had non-fat milk, popcorn andnon- or low-fat muffins.
Only a few of the hundreds of eateries in the ten malls hadnutrition information available to shoppers.
"When we shop for clothes, toys or books we don't just grabthe first thing we see without comparing value, price and how it serves our needs. The same thing should be true for food choices," said Busch."Be flexible and adventurous on you're next trip to the mall andremember you're the customer. If you don't know how an item is prepared,ask."
ADA found everything from ethnic to exotic food and drink choices at America's largest malls, including:
Half of the surveyed malls have designated walkingprograms and others were open to the public before storesopened for business. "Walking around the mall, parking fartheraway from entrances, taking the stairs and carrying packagescan all add up to positive health benefits," according to Busch,who walked nearly six miles the day she visited the Mall of America."Malls can provide a great place to get an aerobic workout,particularly for those of us in cold weather climates or those worried about safety."
ADA says the average person can burn approximately220 to 310 calories per hour during brisk walking. And there is plenty of room to walk with more than 355 U.S. shopping centers each with at least 1,000,000 square-feet of space.
"Let's face it, the turkey isn't usually the only thing that gets stuffed on Thanksgiving," said Busch."So going to the mall, even if you aren't buying anything, can have its benefits."
The nearly 70,000-member American Dietetic Association is the nation's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.The Chicago-based ADA serves the public by promoting of optimalnutrition, health and well-being.
**International Council of Shopping Centers.