healthy options<\/a>, from meal combos to \u201cgrab-and-go\u201d items.<\/p>\n\u201cWe\u2019ve just recently made some changes to the grab and-go program,\u201d says Louis \u201cChip\u201d Buck, Food and Nutrition Services Director. \u201cWe\u2019ve eliminated high-calorie, high-fat desserts like pies and cakes, and replaced them with yogurt parfaits and fruit cups. We\u2019ve also made our bottled waters more prominent in the beverage case, moving them from fourth position to first position. And we\u2019ve priced the water lower than bottled soda.\u201d Customers had been asking for healthier choices, but the response has been even better than Buck imagined. \u201cThe new parfaits and fruit cups are way more popular than the previous desserts. They cost us less, and we\u2019re bringing in more money with them, so it\u2019s a win-win.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re also now selling more bottled water than bottled soda.\u201d Buck is currently mulling over new ideas to expand this \u201chealthy retail\u201d initiative. \u201cWe offer sandwiches, milk, some juices\u2014things like that \u2026 primarily intended for people to take with them back to their desks or for the overnight shift, when the cafeteria is closed,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd we\u2019re always looking for new opportunities to introduce better nutrition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Building on a Legacy<\/h2>\n
That commitment extends as far back as 2006, when Buck\u2019s predecessor\u2014Joyce Hagen-Flint\u2014began transforming the Shoreline Cafeteria menu to reflect a greater national emphasis on healthy nutrition. <\/p>\n
Back in 2008, Hagen-Flint told Foodservice Director magazine that a \u201csignificant portion\u201d of the RMCBP customer base was interested in heart-healthy menus, and that one-third of its customers followed a heart-healthy regimen.<\/p>\n
In response, she and her staff deemphasized deep-fried and cheese blanketed items and put more focus on salads and other low-calorie, low-fat items. <\/p>\n
That focus continues today. \u201cWe always have a Healthy Plate as one of three entr\u00e9e choices in the cafeteria,\u201d Buck says. \u201cIt fits a heart healthy profile, with lower fat, calories, and sugar.\u201d The entr\u00e9e is also offered as part of a Healthy Value Meal that may include a grain, vegetable, and\/or dessert.<\/p>\n
Healthy options are offered at a substantial discount compared to standard dishes. For instance, a Healthy Plate vegetarian meal might be priced at $2.75, while the same day\u2019s pulled-pork and chicken-quarter choices would each retail for $4.<\/p>\n
In the almost two years since he assumed the Director position, Buck says he has added more vegetarian dishes to both the cafeteria and the hospital\u2019s in-house catering menu. And he continues to encourage culinary experimentation on the part of his staff.<\/p>\n
Not Afraid to Try<\/h2>\n
\u201cOur nutritional standards for healthy meals necessitate that we produce them ourselves,\u201d Buck explains. \u201cWe can\u2019t rely on processed foods and premade items. It can be a challenge\u2014if you take away the fat but you can\u2019t replace it with sugar, what do you do?<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve learned how to use healthier alternatives more efficiently.\u201d When it comes to evaluating new healthy options, Buck likes to remain open-minded. \u201cIf we introduce a new meal and it\u2019s not received terribly well, then we won\u2019t offer it again,\u201d he says. \u201cAlthough sometimes we believe in something so strongly that we give it some time.\u201d For instance, he says, a hot garbanzo-bean dish started off as a slow seller but now is quite popular. The foodservice staff makes extensive use of fresh fruits and vegetables.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a salad bar, and we also offer made-to-order salads.\u201d And whole-wheat pasta has become a specialty. \u201cWe really know our way around it now.\u201d RMCBP has also revamped its vending program to offer healthier options.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe worked with our supplier to replace about 40 percent of existing items with better-for-you choices, and we developed a sticker that immediately identifies these foods. So you can see right away what\u2019s a good choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChoice\u201d is a key concept, according to Buck. \u201cWe\u2019re not dictating to people what they have to eat. We still have plenty of \u2018not-so-healthy\u2019 options available. But we\u2019re making it easy for people who do want to eat better, and we\u2019re encouraging healthy eating behaviors.\u201d In the future, Buck would like to introduce more made-to-order items, like stir-fry dishes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat way, people can pick and choose which ingredients they want. It gives them more control over how healthy they want to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also would like an electronic menu board. \u201cWe have nutritionals posted in the cafeteria and on the hospital intranet, but an electronic board would be more prominent and easier to update.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buck\u2019s advice for other foodservice directors venturing into healthy retail? \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to try different things. Be creative. If something doesn\u2019t really work, so what? Start over again the next day.\u201d You\u2019ll get credit for the attempt, Buck says, and you\u2019ll learn something valuable along the way. It\u2019s all about helping people eat healthy. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s just the right thing to do,\u201d he says.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Links between diet and heart health is at the center of the plate for this grab-and-go operation.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":3989,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[111,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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