Fast Food Statistics Infographic

Fast Food Global Net Worth
Fast Food Frequency
The McDonald’s Empire
Children + Fast Food
Scary Ingredients
King of Added Sugar
The Unhealthy Calories
Too Many Carbs, Not Enough Fiber
Don’t Risk It
Guide: Eating Healthy on a Busy Schedule

References

$1200 spent on fast food New York Post
50 Billion spent on fast food annually Eater
3 Year world hunger ends Borgan Project
58% dine out once a week Rasmussen Reports
80% visit once a month Gallop
20% eat fast food at least once a week Statista
23% of adults eat three or more fast food meals per week Ohio State University
$200 billion dollars annually Statista
McDonald's has nearly 37,000 locations Expected Ramblings
McDonald's feeds 68 million people each day The Fiscal Times
McDonald’s 75 hamburgers per second. USA Today.
34% of kids eat fast food on any given day Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Kids get 2X more calories from fast food Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
80% of children say McDonald’s is their favorite place to eat Study Finds
11 out of 25 failed antibiotics test CNN
2 million Americans contract antibiotic resistance Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Trans fats raise cholesterol The BMJ
86 grams of sugar MyFitnessPal
High Sugar Diet Tied to Heart Disease Medical News Today
One meal at a fast food restaurant Cosmopolitan
3 hours to burn 2,000 calories MyFitnessPal
38.5 gallons of carbonated soft drinks Reuters
High in saturated fats,little fiber Huffington Post
Fresher Ingredients Fortune
Less Foods Containing Trans Fat Bloomberg
Nutritional Information for Each Meal FDA
60% Americans are overweight or obese Health Data
Obesity increases risks Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Fast Food Statistics

What They Mean For Your Health

Fast food is a bigger part of the American diet
than you may think, and it puts both young and old
Americans in greater danger of developing a wide
range of health problems, some of which are potentially life-threatening.

How you fuel your body has an enormous impact on your overall health and
wellness. And while some chains are slowly beginning to offer healthier options,
eating out is typically not a healthy choice.

KEEP SCROLLING TO READ THE STATISTICS

Fast Food Global Net Worth

Today

$198.9
Billion

$223
Billion

2020

$1200

Amount of money an average American spends on fast food annually.¹

³Expanded Ramblings

$50 Billion

Amount of money Americans spend, collectively, on fast food annually.²

3 Years

World hunger would stop for 3 years with that amount of money.³

Fast Food Frequency

Percentage of American adults who dine out at least once a week.⁴

Percentage of Americans who visit a fast food restaurant at least once a month.⁵

Percentage of American adults who say they eat fast food at least once a week.⁶

24% of adults eat three or more fast food meals per week.⁷

Americans spend $200 billion dollars annually on fast food.⁸

The McDonald’s Empire

Net Worth
of McDonald's

$106.4 Billion

$84.6 Billion

Net Worth
of Starbucks

¹Forbes ²Forbes

37,000+

McDonald's Locations⁹

³Expanded Ramblings

68 Million

Number of people McDonald’s feeds everyday around the world, which is more than the population of Spain.¹⁰

⁴The Fiscal Times

75 Burgers

McDonald’s sells an average of 75 hamburgers every second.¹¹

⁵The Fiscal Times

Children + Fast Food

Percentage of children and adolescents consuming fast food on any given day.¹²

Researchers found kids and adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 ate twice as many calories from fast food restaurants as children ages 2 to 11.¹³

Percentage of children who say McDonald’s is their favorite place to eat.¹⁴

Scary Ingredients

11 out of 25 fast food chains failed after being graded on their use of antibiotics.¹⁵

The CDC estimates that at least 2 million Americans contract antibiotic-resistant infections every year and that 23,000 of those people will die as a result.¹⁶

In 2015, trans fats, which are used in fried foods, were recognized by the FDA to raise the level of cholesterol in blood, therefore increasing the risk of developing heart disease – one of the leading causes of death in the U.S.¹⁷

King of Added Sugar

Sugar in a Large
Coca-Cola

A large Coca-Cola contains 86 grams of sugar.¹⁸

Recommended Daily
Sugar Allowance

It is recommended that men consume a maximum of 38 grams of sugar while women should only consume 25 grams.

High Sugar Diet Tied
to Heart Disease

Consuming high amounts of sugar alters fat metabolism.¹⁹

The Unhealthy Calories

Full Day’s Worth

One meal at a fast food restaurant contains all the calories you need for an entire day.²⁰

3 Hours

It takes a 155-pound person 3 hours to burn 2,000 calories. A Big Mac, Large Fries and Large Coke equal just over 1,300 calories.²¹

38.5 Gallons

On average, American consumers drink more than 38.5 gallons of carbonated soft drinks each year.²²

Fast Food: High in Saturated Fats Not Enough Fiber

That includes sides and drinks. When your digestive system breaks down these foods, the carbs are released as glucose into your bloodstream. As a result, your blood sugar increases.²³

There is a push to make a lot of the menu items at your favorite fast food restaurants healthier. Some of the things we’re seeing include: Fresher ingredients, less foods containing trans fats and nutritional information for each meal.

What’s Being Done
at Restaurants?

Fresher Ingredients²⁴

Options with Less
Foods Containing Trans Fats²⁵

Availability of Nutritional
Information for Each Meal²⁶

Don’t Risk It.

Eating too much fast food can increase your risk for developing serious health conditions.

60% of Americans are overweight or obese.²⁷ Obesity can increase the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, respiratory problems, and other illnesses.²⁸

Eating Healthy on a Busy Schedule

A guide with tips to make fast food work for you.

If you feel you’re too busy to eat healthy— think again. You can make small, subtle changes to your diet and reap big benefits.