Nutrient Profiling: Evaluation of Menus Served in Institutional Food Service Systems

Abstract

Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate the different menus served in institutional food service systems with the models developed for specific purposes, according to the principles of the scientific and pragmatic nutrient composition with respect to their nutritional compositions. Material and Methods: Monthly lunch menus of five university (three foundation and two state universities) cafeteria, located in Ankara were evaluated with across the board and category specific, internationally validated Nutrient Rich Food Index 9.3 (NRF 9.3), Food Standards Agency (FSA) FSA-Ofcom WXY and Choices International nutrient profiling models. Results: It was found that according to FSA-Ofcom WXY model all the scores were below 4 and menus were considered as healthier and according to NRF 9.3 model lowest score was determined in C foundation university (12.28±9.0 point) and the highest score was determined in B state university (19.7±7.5 point). According to Choices International model, cafeteria menus were not complying the fiber (50.9%) and saturated fatty acid (21.5%) criteria of the model. Conclusion: In the evaluation of menus, more appropriate results were obtained with NRF 9.3 and International Choices models. It could be concluded that nutrient profiling models are objective tools and could be used to evaluate the catering menus.