Influence of intervention on the menu's nutritional and sensory qualities and on the food waste of children's education center

Abstract

The aim was to evaluate the influence of an intervention on the nutritional and sensory quality of the menus and on the food waste of a Children's Educational Center. It is a quasi-experimental study that used the Qualitative Assessment of the Menu Preparations method and performed the waste-ingestion quantities and clean leftovers. The intervention was characterized by the inclusion of new recipes and adequacy of portions according to recommendations for the children's age group. Data were analyzed using the Mann Whitney test with a significance level of p < 0.05. The intervention resulted in a reduction in the occurrence of the side dish supply, color monotony, presence of sweets, presence of fried foods, sweets associated with fried foods, and repetition of the main dish cooking technique. In addition, there was a significant reduction in the average quantities of waste-ingestion/child (from 69.02 ± 11.87g to 37.06 ± 15.57g), clean leftovers /child (from 161.47 ± 44.12g to 35.23 ± 33.73 g) and clean leftovers percentage (from 39.56 ± 7.96 to 21.01 ± 17.15). The positive influence of intervention reinforces the importance of adjustments in recipes and portioning of preparations to meet the nutritional recommendations and to control food waste.

Food Waste and Qualitative Evaluation of Menus in Public University Canteens—Challenges and Opportunities

“…Souza et al conducted an intervention on the nutritional and sensory quality of the menus from children's canteens and show the importance of adjustments in recipes and portioning of preparations to meet the nutritional recommendations and to control food waste [24]. The development of menus is complex because several aspects should be considered, such as: the nutritional needs of consumers, the habits and preferences of the population for which it is intended, the frequency of consumption, the turnover of consumers, the costs, sensory aspects, and the availability of raw materials, equipment, space, and employees [25].…”

Os Desperdícios da Alimentação Escolar Dentro das Escolas

“…O CEI tem 45 vagas para crianças de 1 a 5 anos de idade, funcionando em período integral de segunda a sexta-feira. A disponibilidade, variedade, forma de preparo e apresentação de alimentos são alguns dos fatores que podem influenciar as escolhas e o consumo alimentar das crianças (SOUZA et al, 2019).…”

Elaboração De Produtos Adicionados De Casca De Berinjela Em Oficinas De Culinária

“…Nessa fase, muitas vezes, observa-se um consumo elevado de produtos ultraprocessados, como fast foods, salgadinhos, bolachas e bebidas açucaradas (SPARRENBERGER et al, 2015). Contudo, há uma baixa ingestão de alimentos nutritivos como frutas e hortaliças (MAIZ et al, 2019), que gira em torno de 120 g/dia, abaixo da recomendação atual para frutas e hortaliças (400 g/dia) (SOUZA et al, 2019). Geralmente, as crianças avaliam esses alimentos como tendo aparência e textura desagradável, amargor e sabor menos adocicado (FRITTS et al, 2019), o que reduz a aceitabilidade.…”