In The News

What's On the Menu: Health and Wellness Focus, Featuring Saint Francis University Flash Fitness Station
FoodService Director Magazine

As menu planners create their templates for the current year, there are five influences driving their decision-making.

Before foodservice directors can plan menus and select recipes to fit those menus, they first need to get the lay of the land; specifically, to decide what trends will have the biggest impact on those menus. They survey customers, discuss with staff, network with colleagues and measure such variables as product availability, food prices and trends occurring on the restaurant side of the industry.

For our second annual Recipe Issue, we asked a number of operators what factors would have the biggest impact on their menus in 2013. From their answers we compiled the five issues most likely to affect menus, along with an explanation of some ways operators are responding.

Health & Wellness

Whether it is finding ways to reduce fat, sodium and sugar or meeting a growing demand for gluten-free foods, health and wellness is a continuing trend that few operators can afford to ignore, no matter their segment.

School districts currently are struggling to make meals healthier and stay within the guidelines mandated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new meal regulations.

Creating stations around a healthy theme is being embraced by a growing number of operators, and if that theme doesn’t use the word “health,” so much the better. For example, at St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa., the recently renovated Torvian Dining Hall will feature a station called Flash Fitness. (The university’s sports teams’ nickname is Red Flash.)

Leo Cavanaugh, general manager for Parkhurst Dining Services at this location, says healthy plates, complete with sides, will be offered at the station every day. For instances, a Flash Fitness meal might comprise turkey meatloaf with orange sauce, couscous and grilled vegetables.

“We get a lot of students looking for healthier and more plant-based entrées,” Cavanaugh says, “with fresh, local ingredients and fresh prep at an action station. We are happy to help educate our students on selecting food items that are healthier, contributing to the overall health and wellness for them on campus.”



View original article here
What's On the Menu: Health and Wellness Focus, Featuring Saint Francis University Flash Fitness Station
FoodService Director Magazine

As menu planners create their templates for the current year, there are five influences driving their decision-making.

Before foodservice directors can plan menus and select recipes to fit those menus, they first need to get the lay of the land; specifically, to decide what trends will have the biggest impact on those menus. They survey customers, discuss with staff, network with colleagues and measure such variables as product availability, food prices and trends occurring on the restaurant side of the industry.

For our second annual Recipe Issue, we asked a number of operators what factors would have the biggest impact on their menus in 2013. From their answers we compiled the five issues most likely to affect menus, along with an explanation of some ways operators are responding.

Health & Wellness

Whether it is finding ways to reduce fat, sodium and sugar or meeting a growing demand for gluten-free foods, health and wellness is a continuing trend that few operators can afford to ignore, no matter their segment.

School districts currently are struggling to make meals healthier and stay within the guidelines mandated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new meal regulations.

Creating stations around a healthy theme is being embraced by a growing number of operators, and if that theme doesn’t use the word “health,” so much the better. For example, at St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa., the recently renovated Torvian Dining Hall will feature a station called Flash Fitness. (The university’s sports teams’ nickname is Red Flash.)

Leo Cavanaugh, general manager for Parkhurst Dining Services at this location, says healthy plates, complete with sides, will be offered at the station every day. For instances, a Flash Fitness meal might comprise turkey meatloaf with orange sauce, couscous and grilled vegetables.

“We get a lot of students looking for healthier and more plant-based entrées,” Cavanaugh says, “with fresh, local ingredients and fresh prep at an action station. We are happy to help educate our students on selecting food items that are healthier, contributing to the overall health and wellness for them on campus.”



View original article here