Buyer Beware!

The fat and calorie content of fast foods and other food products can change from one minute to the next.  
C	The company may decide to change the ingredients or the way the food is prepared.  
C	The company may decide to offer different foods in different parts of the country.  For example, McDonald’s may offer a low-fat blueberry muffin in Kansas City but a high-fat one in Pittsburgh. 

The changes in fat and calories will not show up in books or brochures until new editions are published.  

For example, Jack in the Box recently changed the recipe for their milkshakes. Now, instead of low-fat ice cream, they use regular ice cream.  Compare:

	Jack in the Box Vanilla Shake	
	Before the recipe changed 
(source:  Nutrition in the Fast Lane, 1995)	After the recipe changed 
(source: Jack in the Box, 1997)	
Fat grams per shake		7		31	
Calories per shake		350		610	

So be a wise Fat Detective:

1.	Ask the store for up-to-date nutrient values before you buy.  Many fast food chains provide brochures that contain fat grams and calories.  Check the date on the brochure.

2.	Read labels.  The product label must show the fat and calorie content of that specific product.

3.	Ask questions before you buy.  For example, “Is the blueberry muffin low in fat?” “What ingredients are in your vanilla shake?”