June 20/Inverness, Ill./CustomersDNA -- An independent study by CustomersDNA researched where quick-service customers chose to eat for healthier food. An overwhelming majority of respondents -- 76% -- chose Subway.

McDonald's garnered 11% of healthy orders, followed by Wendy's, which received 10% of the orders. Burger King came out with 3%, according to MediaPost.

CustomersDNA, a marketing research and consulting agency specializing in food/beverage, tapped 15,000 U.S. consumers for the survey.

On average, the health-conscious customers eat at one or more of the leading chains nearly four times each month. In addition to choosing healthy items, they are also seeking out value or taste for their menu choices.

Specific menu items also were included in the research, which found that the top 10 most popular "healthy" items were also from Subway, with the chain's Turkey Breast sandwich ranking No. 1 (19%). Second was the Veggie Delite (14%) and the Oven-Roasted Chicken Breast (12%).

 

From the June 21, 2011, Prepared Foods' Daily News.