policy in place for beef. On the bright side, things can change
quickly. The first overall scorecard—which looks at all types
of meat that a company serves, namely beef, pork, chicken,
and turkey—in 2015 revealed that only five of the top twenty-
five chains had policies for reducing antibiotics in any type
of meat; by the 2018 overall scorecard, eighteen of twenty-five
chains had policies. Consistent star performers since the first
report, Panera and Chipotle serve meat that’s nearly entirely
raised without any antibiotics. Chick-fil-A (which serves
almost exclusively chicken, mind you) earned an A grade in
2018 as well.
Availability of whole-grain options. Why does this one get special
attention? Because of how overly reliant the restaurant and
food-service industry is on refined carbs—white bread in bread
baskets, white flour in desserts, white potatoes in every form
imaginable (mashed, fried, waffled, wedged, and tater-totted).
It’s the same reason the availability of plant-based entrées gets
its own treatment in the final essay in this book—with the sta-
tus quo being so heavily weighted on the stuff that’s bad for us
and the planet, NGOs and the like have to go to the trouble of
assembling lists of places that offer the better options. Not in a
nanny-state kind of way, but in the name of choice: increasing
the chance of consumers choosing healthier and more sustain-
able menu items by having them on the menu to begin with.
Things have improved dramatically in recent years with
respect to whole-grain menu options, thanks in no small part to
the popularity of customizable bowls—intact whole grains like
farro, quinoa, and brown rice are now common bases to choose
from. In addition, based on my own tracking as a whole-grains
hunter, it’s become easier to find at least one whole-wheat
bread choice at a deli or sandwich joint, and more oatmeal228 how to be a Conscious EaterConscious Eater_04 PT_4th patches.indd 228 10/23/19 1:38 PM