Fast-food chains offering healthier menu items

NEW YORK - The Associated Press - Several quick service chains are offering and promoting new healthier menu items this week in a bid to attract New Year's dieters.

Taco Bell, which is owned by KFC and Pizza Hut operator Yum Brands Inc., rolled out a new "Fresco'' menu Monday, featuring nine items with less than nine grams of fat. The items include a Fiesta Salsa with diced tomatoes, white onions and cilantro that replaces cheese and sauce as well as a Grilled Steak Soft Taco that has 4.5 grams of fat and 160 calories.

The chain said it is also ramping up advertising to support the new menu options. The company said the marketing campaign will include print ads comparing the new menu items to hamburgers.

Starbucks Corp., meanwhile, is promoting a "Skinny" alternative to its latte and mocha drinks. If a customer orders a "Skinny" drink, it will be made with sugar-free syrup and skim milk, the company said.

The company has always allowed customers to ask for many of its drinks to be made with skim milk and sugar-free syrup, but it has not offered a mocha sugar-free flavour until now.

The "Skinny Latte" will be featured on menu boards starting in January, the company said.

The new items coincide with the start of the yearly diet season, when those looking to shed a few pounds try their hardest to stick to New Year's resolutions.

Yum Brands shares fell 33 cents US to $38.21 in Monday trading. Starbucks shares rose nine cents to $20.22.

*CTV.ca