Nutritional Quality of Lunches Served in South East England Hospital Staff Canteens.

Agnieszka Jaworowska,Gabriela Rotaru,Tatiana Christides

doi:10.3390/nu10121843

Agnieszka Jaworowska, Gabriela Rotaru + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10121843

Copy DOI

Journal: Nutrients	Publication Date: Dec 1, 2018
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Greenwich, University of Leicester

Abstract

Worksite canteens generally are characterized by obesogenic environments, which offer access to energy-dense foods and sugar-sweetened beverages rather than nutrient-rich food. This study assessed the nutritional quality of hot lunches offered in National Health Service (NHS) hospital staff canteens: 35 side dishes and 112 meals were purchased from 8 NHS hospital staff canteens. The meals were analyzed for portion size, energy, protein, total fat, saturated fatty acids (SFAs), salt, and the sodium to potassium ratio. The vegetarian and meat-based lunch meals served in the hospital staff canteens tended to be high in energy, total fat, saturated fatty acids, and salt: 40%, 59% and 67% of meat meals and 34%, 43%, and 80% of vegetarian meals were assigned the red traffic light label for total fat, salt, and SFAs per portion, respectively. Similar types of meals, but served in different hospitals, varied considerably in their nutritional quality. The consumption of some lunch meals could provide more than 50% of recommended total fat, SFAs, and salt for both men and women and daily energy for women. The majority of analyzed lunch meals were characterized by an unfavorable nutrient profile, and regular consumption of such meals may increase the risk of noncommunicable diseases.

Highlights

Lifestyle changes that have taken place in many countries worldwide have impacted food consumption patterns, and meals prepared outside the home are currently a regular component of the western diet [1]
This study aimed to assess the nutritional quality, including energy, proteins, carbohydrates, total fat, saturated fatty acids (SFAs), fiber, and salt content of hot lunches offered in a selection of National Health Service (NHS) hospital staff canteens
The vegetarian and meat-based lunch meals served in NHS hospital canteens tended to be high in energy, total fat, SFAs, and salt, and low in fiber: 40%, 59%, and 67% of meat meals and 34%, 43%, and 80% of vegetarian meals were assigned the red traffic light label for total fat, salt, and SFAs per portion

Summary

Introduction

Lifestyle changes that have taken place in many countries worldwide have impacted food consumption patterns, and meals prepared outside the home are currently a regular component of the western diet [1]. Despite the potential, worksite canteens generally are characterized by obesogenic environments that offer access to energy-dense foods and sugar-sweetened beverages rather than nutrient-rich food [8,9]. This may underlie research findings that have shown that frequent consumption of food produced outside the home is associated with adverse health outcomes, including an increased risk of hypertension, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity [1,10].

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion