Chapter 9 :- Newer Trends in Food Service Industry in Relevance to Nutrition and Health

 (A.) Need for introducing nutritionally balanced and health specific meal:-

Foods provided by residential institutions, such as boarding schools, college hostels, hospitals and old- age homes, are probably the one source of nutrition for the residents and must be adequate. The list of residential institutes is long, and it is the responsibility and moral obligation of the caterer to provide a nutritionally adequate meal to the resident. Sample menu based on the principles of meal planning and recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) should be provided to the caterer to ensure that the meal is balanced as well as attractive, appetizing, & affordable.

While selecting commodities, fruits and vegetables at the proper stage of maturity, which are fresh and intact, should be purchased. If convenience foods are to be purchased, their costs should be considered. The food standards laid down by the govt. of various commodities should be checked especially for compulsory standards. For example the fruit product order for processed fruit and vegetable products such as tomato sauce, pineapple slices in syrup, etc.

Just planning a balanced meal is not sufficient. The nutrients present in the food should be conserved while preparing food, and cooking practices that enhance nutrients should be observed.

To make quick money, hygienic practices are ignored or sufficient investments in proper storage and cooking equipment are not made, leading to the vicious cycle of diseases and malnutrition affecting work efficiency and productivity.

Some Common Practices Which Reduce the Nutritional Value

1. Buying poor quality fruits and vegetables in bulk because of the lower rate.
2. Improper storage leading to further loss of nutrition.
3. Faulty cooking practices such as using excess water and then evaporating it to get correct constituency, washing vegetables after cutting.
4. Overcooking and discarding cooking water (for liquor)
5. Soaking vegetables in water
6. Cooking in an open pan
7. Keeping hot food over the extended service period.
8. Repeated reheating of entire food instead of reheating quantity required.
9. Adding alkali to speed up the softening of pulses and vegetables and to preserve the green color.
10. Using Aji-no-moto(MSG) in all preparations to bring out the flavor of food. Aji-no-moto is used in soups in place of stock permitted level in food is 1%.

(B.) Critical evaluation of fast foods:-

The fast-food industry is growing rapidly all over the world to provide a quick meal to the customer at an affordable cost and in very little time. In India, the fast-food industry comprises mainly of south Indian, Punjabi snacks and popular MNCs like KFC, MC’D, Pizza hut, etc. Many products have been modified to suit the Indian palate and respect religious sentiments. Many of these providers take away or drive-thru services as well as a sitting area to eat food on the premises. Modern commercial fast food is often highly processed & prepared in an industrial fashion. Most items on the menu are prepared at a central supply facility & then shipped to individual outlets where they are reheated/cooked or assembled in a short time. The central kitchen ensures consistency in product quality & ability to deliver the order quickly to the customer eliminating labour & equipment costs in the individual restaurant.

  

     Since the fast food concept relies on speed, uniformity ,and low cost,fast food items need additives and processing to ensure flavour, consistency, and freshness of the product. This processing often reduces the nutritive value of food. Many popular fast food items are unhealthy and excessive consumption can lead to obesity. These foods adversely affect the eating habits and health of children who prefer burgers, french fries, and soft drinks to a traditional hot meal at the table. Local business are dying a slow death as people are forgetting the richer,more varied, and nourishing tastes of freshly harvested seasonal food. Some fast food chains are offering healthy alternatives of fresh fruit and salads and low-fat items in their menu. However, these foods are still high in fat and cholesterol and refined cereals. South Indian fast food snacks are fermented food combinations which are more nutritious than their Western counterparts. They are a blend of cereal and pulses and are non-greasy,easy to digest, and safe to eat. 

(C.) New products being launched in the market (nutritional evaluation):- 

A wide variety of convenience foods are available and new products in attractive packages are being launched everyday to meet the growing demands of working women, single families, the elderly and commercial establishments who are too busy to invest valuable time and labour in pre-preparations. The newly launched products in the market can be categorized under five heads, namely:-

1. Basic product
2. Ready-to-cook product
3. Ready-to-use product
4. Precooked product
5. Table-ready product    

In short these products are at the basic level cleaned, washed, peeled, and cut or ready-to-use ,ready-to-eat, or ready-to-serve. Although these products are industrially prepared often under strict regulation and control and sometimes bacteriologically safer than fresh goods, if they are not stored under temperature-controlled storage during retailing, their nutritive value and overall quality can be grossly affected. 

        

               Many products launched in the market make health claims which at times could be misleading. Convenience is not the main criteria, but meeting the day's nutritional needs should be checked. Some newly launched products based on soy proteins, flax seeds, carotene, and vitamin E rich oils have distinct benefits while other foods such as non-diary creams have both advantages because of no cholesterol and disadvantages because of fatty acid composition of vegetable oils used. Bakery shortenings in the market are specifically designed for a particular product and the ready products are of superior quality but the trans-fatty acids present in these fats are harmful to health. 

Key Terms:-

• Fast foods:- These are processed foods available in market that require little or no preparation before consumption. 
• Junk food:- These are processed foods that are low in healthy nutrient content. 
• Trans fatty acids:- Geometrical isomers of unsaturated fatty acids that assume a saturated fatty acid like configuration giving the fat a higher melting point and making the baked product crisper.