Main-dish salads made with chicken, beef, seafood, fruits and vegetables topped with a variety of exotic dressings are soaring in popularity as consumers seek more ways to add fruits and vegetables to their diets, according to the study -- a survey of menus submitted by restaurants around the country.

"More and more Americans are ordering salads as a main course, and the restaurant industry is meeting that growing demand," said Joseph F. Fassler, chairman of the board of the National Restaurant Association and president and CEO of Restaura Inc., a subsidiary of Viad Corp., based in Phoenix, Ariz. "As consumers become more health-conscious, chefs are finding creative ways to help satisfy their appetites," he said.

The survey, "Menu Analysis 1997," a study conducted by the National Restaurant Association, shows that the number of menus offering main-dish salads rose from 77 percent in 1992 to 82 percent in 1997, a 5 percentage-point increase. Further, the association's Tableservice Restaurant Trends -- 1997 study found that many consumers say they eat salads (at tableservice restaurants) more often than they did two years ago.

What's sparking the salad trend?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Americans now consume 40 percent more grain products and 20 percent more fruits and vegetables per capita than they did in 1970. USDA data also indicate that Americans, who are becoming increasingly health-conscious, consumed an average of 70 pounds more commercially grown vegetables per capita and 52 pounds more fruit per capita in 1995 than in 1970.

This increased per-capita consumption of fruits and vegetables is reflected in the National Restaurant Association's findings. "The restaurant industry offers consumers a variety of menu choices, and salads are no exception, allowing chefs to incorporate meat, seafood, fruits and vegetables topped with the unique flavors of their signature dressings, Fassler noted.

What types of salads are most common on menus?

More than half of all main-dish salad offerings on menus last year (51 percent) included beef, lamb, pork, finfish or shellfish. Of those, chicken and shellfish were tossed into entree salads most often. Ease of preparation and variety made chicken the top choice; it topped 19 percent of all main-dish salads in 1997 (a 3 percentage-point increase from 1992). Shellfish (most often shrimp) appeared on 12 percent of main-dish salads in 1997, rising 1 percentage point from 1992. Grilling was the most popular method for preparing those toppings.

According to "Menu Analysis 1997," Caesar salad remains the top main-dish salad choice, at both fine-dining and casual-dining establishments. Ceasar salad represents one-quarter of the salad category and appears on roughly one-third of menus that offered salads in 1992 and 1997. Other favorites include the traditional Cobb salad and Salad Nicoise, accompanied by traditional as well as creative new salad dressings.

Some menus have replaced traditional salad greens with more exotic mesclun greens or with creations such as chilled, steamed asparagus topped with a blanket of hollandaise sauce or pea-shoot salad served with toasted almonds, beets and tarragon-deviled eggs.

"Menu Analysis 1997" compared 78 menus taken from a representative sample of restaurants in 1992 and 1997. The sample consisted of entrants to the Association's Great Menu Contest and represents a cross-section of restaurants across the United States. 

The National Restaurant Association, founded in 1919, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, representing 170,000 outlets and a work force of 10.2 million employees. Along with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the association works to represent, educate and promote the rapidly growing industry.