The State of Fast Food Nutrition

Five numbers that define fast food in 2026

Every figure below is computed from our full catalog of 2,401 items — quote them freely; each links back here.

1. Across 2,401 menu items from 31 major fast-food chains, just 4.5% earn an A on the Nom Score, and only 31.9% reach an A or B. The most common grade by far is C, covering 57.4% of the menu.
2. The average menu item carries 666 mg of sodium; nearly one in four items (22.9%) contains at least 1,150 mg — half an adult’s entire daily limit — and 68 items pack a full day’s 2,300 mg or more into a single order.
3. Sweetgreen has the healthiest average menu of the 31 chains, with a mean Nom Score of 74 (a B); Shake Shack averages lowest at 54. No chain’s menu averages an A — only 6 of 31 reach a B.
4. The saltiest single item in the catalog is IHOP’s Boneless Buffalo Chicken Strips & Fries at 5,220 mg of sodium — 227% of the FDA’s daily maximum in one plate.
5. The single highest-calorie item in the catalog is KFC’s Southern Iced Tea (Gallon) — 2,250 calories in one to-go jug — while the biggest sugar hit in a single drink is Dunkin’s OREO® Coolatta at 141 g, about 35 teaspoons.

How fast food scores, A to F

Every one of the 2,401 items we track, sorted by its Nom Score grade. C is the fast-food default: 57.4% of the menu.

Every chain, ranked by its average menu

Averages span each chain’s entire published menu — entrees, sides, drinks, and desserts — so the numbers reflect the whole menu, not a chain’s signature items. Sorted by mean Nom Score.

#	Chain	Items	Avg Nom Score	Avg cal	Avg sodium (mg)	Avg sugar (g)	Protein / 100 cal
1	Sweetgreen	42	74B	427	633	6.3	4.3
2	Chipotle	41	70B	433	937	2.2	6.2
3	El Pollo Loco	47	67B	459	1,118	3.4	6.3
4	Panda Express	34	66B	295	601	8.5	4.9
5	Taco Bell	112	66B	386	799	9.1	3.4
6	Jimmy John’s	51	65B	498	1,384	4	5.3
7	Raising Cane’s	17	65C	582	963	10.8	5.2
8	Subway	47	65C	293	817	7.4	5.9
9	Del Taco	33	64C	423	803	4.7	3.7
10	Wendy’s	46	64C	444	789	10	4.7
11	Chick-fil-A	40	63C	352	782	14.5	5.4
12	Culver’s	53	63C	441	871	9	4.9
13	Panera Bread	48	63C	499	839	20.1	3.9
14	Whataburger	61	63C	474	985	10.6	4.7
15	Starbucks	249	62C	209	178	20.6	3.5
16	Wingstop	42	62C	505	1,260	4.9	5.9
17	Five Guys	36	61C	725	800	26.7	3.2
18	Dunkin’	450	60C	276	249	31.2	2.3
19	Jack in the Box	81	60C	440	830	15.1	4
20	McDonald’s	155	60C	372	550	20.7	3.4
21	The Habit Burger Grill	41	60C	622	993	33.9	3.7
22	Carl’s Jr.	46	59C	641	1,313	11	4.4
23	IHOP	86	59C	644	1,435	10.7	4.6
24	Jersey Mike’s Subs	58	58C	552	1,481	9.1	5.9
25	Sonic Drive-In	85	58C	416	842	19.3	3.2
26	In-N-Out Burger	15	57C	405	724	19.9	4.3
27	KFC	199	57C	223	355	29.5	2.2
28	Popeyes	42	57C	339	746	5.8	3.5
29	Dairy Queen	69	55C	470	571	38.6	3
30	Burger King	35	54C	491	1,053	18.4	3.6
31	Shake Shack	40	54C	594	1,090	22.1	4.3

The extremes

The single most (and least) of everything, across all 2,401 items. Tap any card for the full breakdown.