Commercial foodservice considerations in providing consumer-driven nutrition program elements. Part I. Consumer health objectives and associated employee education needs.

Commercial, public foodservices are experiencing an increasing demand for menu selections consumers see as healthful. Demographic, economic and lifestyle forces are resulting in a growing proportion of individuals and families who eat away from home more frequently. Many are seeking prudent food choices not only at home, but also in foodservice operations. To them, nutrition represents one controllable lifestyle element which can influence their personal health. Weight control and preventive nutrition are the nutrition-related objectives of most consumers interested in foodservice nutrition. They look to dietary guidelines, both those which are specific to their particular health concerns, (e.g. weight control), and those intended as eating-style changes to reduce the risk of such diet-related conditions and diseases as obesity, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, diabetes and certain forms of cancer. Focusing on these health objectives, interested foodservice operators should offer items which allow consumers to avoid certain foods and food preparation methods which add up to too much of the following: total calories; fat; refined carbohydrates; cholesterol; sodium; and certain controversial substances, (e.g., caffeine). They seek to replace some of the 'avoid' items with a variety of choices of minimally-processed plant foods, and with less-fatty animal foods. Employee education to support menuing nutrition should begin with the development of an awareness of specific target market health concerns. Employees can then be made familiar with methods to translate these dietary wants and needs into appealing, well-tuned products and service elements. The success of nutrition program elements relies heavily on this understanding by employees in their roles from recipe development to table service.