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in their bespoke bevvies. Sold as a ‘However You Want It’ cuppa, buyers can lower the calories in their Frappuccinos by choosing soya or skimmed milk and sugar-free syrups, with selections like the Mocha Light Frappuccino containing a mere 96 calories in its largest incarnation.
CALORIE-COUNTING Yvonne Bishop-Weston, founder of nutritional consultancy Foods for Life, approves of such moves, asserting: “I think consumers should be en- couraged to demand healthier choices, and not just eat what they are given.” She feels that, when it comes to portion sizes, “many people eat until it’s gone, rather than eat until they are full,” so smaller portions might offer some nutritional benefi t – as long as there’s suffi cient protein and fi bre in the meal to satisfy. Vegetables – as long as they aren’t smothered in oil, sugar or cream – could evidently help to fulfi l this requirement, without strict por- tioning – and go a signifi cant way to meeting the familiar mantra of ‘fi ve a day’. “Even the UK government is now advising to
eat less meat, less often,” relates Bishop-Weston. “With the advent of the latest fad of low GI/GL (Glycaemic Index/Glycaemic Load) diets, you’ll also struggle to fi nd big platefuls of white bread, pasta or white rice in the diet books.” Musing on the price potential of smaller offerings, she proposes that ingredients could be cost-linked – and, providing they were more nutritious, “could be sold as better value – more nutrients for your money.” Providing clarity over ingredients and values would obviously be critical to such a shift in perceptions – and there have already been notable precedents. “The Food Standards Agency’s traffi c light system was great, and a signifi cant success with the caterers that used it in trials. It was an eye-opener for chefs to see how easy it was to move dishes from amber to green, just by changing a few ingredients,” she commends. Thus far, these measures have been strictly
voluntary – with the government enlisting signa- tories for its Public Health Responsibility Deal, launched in March 2011, to formalise corporate goodwill. Intended to implement reform speedily, without legislation, participants in the agreement pledge to offer the encouragement and empow- erment needed to make healthy choices. Each organisation can state its own specifi c goals, but all affi liates must subscribe to the core pledges, including the objective of encouraging healthier diets. To this end, food vendors have collectively agreed to “provide calorie information for food and non-alcoholic drink for our customers in out of home settings from 1 September 2011.” Members include Kraft Foods – owners of Cadbury, along- side organisations involved in HE, such as Sodexo and Compass Group, whose subsidary, Chartwells, works with 30 UK universities.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT Recently launching a health and wellbeing programme at all of its universities and colleges, Chartwells perceives culinary education as a moral obligation. “As a caterer, our responsibility extends beyond serving fresh, fantastic food at fair prices,” elaborates Mick Hickman, Foodservice Director of Education at Compass Group UK & Ireland. “We see it as our responsibility to provide our
❝
candour, such a message could obscure the very awareness – and responsibility – the government wishes to foster. In concord with Bishop-Weston, the director
agrees that reducing portions of certain items might result in a healthier offset being taken up. “As you would expect, smaller portions would be cheaper, refl ecting volume of ingredients used in a dish,” he says. “However, we expect that students would use the
With the advent of the latest fad of low GI/GL (Glycaemic Index/Glycaemic load) diets, you’ll also struggle to fi nd big platefuls of white bread, pasta or white
rice in the diet book Yvonne Bishop-Weston, founder of nutritional consultancy Foods for Life
customers with the information they require to make an informed choice about what they eat.” Clear labelling will be applied to the company’s
full range of recipes and point of sale material by January 2012 in accordance with the Responsibility Deal, and smaller portions are also being explored. Consumer research conducted by the organisa- tion has identifi ed a growing trend, particularly among female students, for these products and, in response, a new Thai offer will shortly be unveiled at universities. Reduced portions in a ‘grab-and- go’ format evidently have some appeal, but Hickman has reservations about the potential benefi ts of wider rollout – although he consid- ers it as feasible across the Chartwells menu. “Mar- keting smaller portions as essentially ‘healthy eating’ should be avoided, as this may offer a misleading mes- sage to students,” he opines. While it may help dietary
management, without adequate
saving from the main meal to ‘trade up’, and opt for side dishes, which they may not have done otherwise, such as fruit and side salads.” Asked to ponder the likelihood of smaller menus for special events, Hick- man is doubtful about the prospects for diminutive feasting. “We know that during indulgent occasions such as Christmas, customers enjoy larger portions with all the trimmings,” he confi rms. “Therefore, while it is certainly possible to make a smaller-sized roast Christmas lunch, for example, it would not be particularly popular.”
Nonetheless, before greedily heeding ad- monishments to ‘fi nish what’s on your plate,’ calorie arithmetic may soon be changing the amounts we eat, pre-empting smaller portions. If the Responsibility Deal’s informational recommends become more ubiquitous, clued-up diners will be quick to realise that, when it comes to the energy values of certain food- stuffs, less may contain a lot more than they ever suspected.●
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