Why Sugar Free Products on the Menu? A Chef’s Perspective

Abstract

Food is a vital element of living. So many researchers have exposed associations between chronic diseases and food patterns. A food pattern rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grain is beneficial to health, while a food high in sugar and fat is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases. Healthy catering is not just about taking off chips and cooked breakfasts from the menu. Nowadays many people prefer healthy foods but they must be made tasty and appealing. This is the main challenge of today’s hoteliers. An important commercial opportunity exists - providing guests with healthier choices that look and taste good. It is important for the hospitality industry to grasp this market opportunity by offering healthier choices in terms of sugar free recipes, which customers increasingly want to buy. This study is about the reasons if any which motivate chefs of the 5 star hotels of New Delhi to develop recipes which are sugar free. The methodology chosen for this study was survey based, conducted among the executive chefs of five star hotels in New Delhi. This study will be an attempt to identify the gaps between the demand and supply of sugar free recipes created by chefs of the 5 star hotels. In addition to collection of data through structured questionnaires, this study’s research methods consisted of conducting in-depth interviews with the executive chefs of five star hotels in New Delhi. The feelings expressed by the interviewees are examined during the discussions. Then the challenges faced by the chefs in relation to modification of recipes to make them sugar free and taste wise acceptable were also discussed. Based on the information collected from the respondents, they provided some general as well as particular suggestions with sugar free recipes offerings. This study brings out some answers to the factors defining trends followed by the chefs to make sugar free recipes in five star hotels.