Eating out is a practice which is becoming more and more prominent in the life styles of people who have very little time to spend in the kitchen due to the pressure of work and other daily commitments. This trend has driven a fast paced development in the food service sector with fierce competition being the hall mark of this industry. Innovations like the Food Truk are also a part of this paradigm shift in the life styles of people on the move in search of more family income and pleasures of life. While the food processing sector is being hauled up for turning out foods which are not healthy causing much of the damage to the well being of the consumers, restaurant sector has not received that much attention from health critics regarding the nutritional quality of preparations served by them. Of course isolated attack on a few catering giants in the form of criticism of their unfair practices in alluring the kids with super sized serving proportions loaded with calories and fat, has not assumed any alarming magnitude still. State policies in cajoling the caterers to declare about the calories in the portion size served seem to be working and may players in this field do display prominently the calorie content along with their menu. Such progressive efforts are sought to be supplemented by voluntary organizations by encouraging the restaurants in in improving the "healthiness" of their offerings. Here is an example of such organizations which certify the restaurants which conform to nutrition standards for their products and disseminate the same among customers.
"The USHFC will help consumers distinguish restaurants and other food service providers that are utilizing nutrition best practices; such as the use of fresh, seasonal vegetables and fruits, whole grains, moderate portions sizes, and minimally processed food and beverages with higher nutritional qualities, while decreasing the use of additives such as industrial trans-fats, sugar, sodium and MSG. In addition, foodservice providers will be credited for their use of environmentally friendly and humanely raised foods, as well as special dietary offerings such as children's menus, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, Paleolithic, and identification of common food allergens. "As a restaurant owner and chef, I feed people for a living, so I believe I have a responsibility to do so well and sustainably," said Chef Ris Lacoste, of RIS in Washington DC. "There are large variations in industry purchasing and preparation practices, and customers are increasingly looking for signs that indicate, 'this house cares.' We go to great lengths to find and use high-quality and healthful ingredients, so I enthusiastically support the efforts of the USHFC." The USHFC is developing programs to provide recognition, incentives and assistance to eating establishments across the entire spectrum of foodservice provision--from high-end restaurants, to fast-casual establishments and eventually school cafeterias, fast food chains, sporting complexes and military and other government foodservice providers. The USHFC initial programs are being modeled after other non-profit initiatives that have successfully incentivized corporations and independent businesses to align their practices with the interests of consumers".
No wonder this approach is being widely acclaimed and many restaurants are vying for such certification and recommendation to increase their business. In a competitive market such positive actions can be the tipping point in garnering sizable growth and improved bottom line. As for the customers, this is a boon because currently they have no reliable system to discriminate between healthy restaurants and normal ones peddling jumbo sized and unbalanced foods with high calorie and fat content. More such efforts by organizations like the one above will spread the message that customers do care for the nutritive aspects of food preparations besides the culinary quality. It is the responsibility of the government to encourage such organizations which can be a watch dog safeguarding the interests and well beings of the citizens. The phenomenon of consuming meals away from home is bound to increase in the coming years and the restaurant sector will have more responsibility in ensuring the safety and quality of their preparations.
V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com
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