Archive for Food and Drink

Reduce Food Waste, It’s Good For Your Balance Sheet And The Environment

September 19, 2011 admin No comments

Sixty percent of people eating at hotels and restaurants site being “too full” as being the reason they leave food on the plate when they have finished dining new research has found which leads to a few points: Are restaurants serving too big portions which not only add to the 3,000,000 tonnes of food waste that goes into landfill each year but also has to be paid for. You might think ‘once it’s paid for it’s the customer’s problem,’ but that’s not quite how it works: a diner will pay the same for a plate of food that they can comfortably eat as they will for a plate of food that they try to force down until it makes them feel uncomfortable. That means that you could cut portion sizes by about a quarter and you’d still earn the same money for it.

A poll of 3,000 younger people in 29 towns and cities throughout the UK it was found that they were more likely to order more food than they really needed and then feel the most guilty when they were unable to finish their meals. Unilever, who own PG Tips, Knorr and Marmite commissioned the survey, conducted by OnePoll which also found that 80% of those surveyed would decline food they knew they wouldn’t eat if asked at a restaurant.

Would You Like To Go Small With That?

If your service staff ask “would you like a large or small portion?” or whether there’s anything the customer would prefer left out then the results show that 80% of diners would let them know if they weren’t ebbing away on the point of starvation!

This is borne out by another research poll, similarly commissioned by Unilever which found that 82% of diners said that they thought it was important that restaurants, pubs and grilles should cut down on the amount of foods which went into landfill sites because of the wasteful practices of the industry. Both reports are being published as part of a campaign by industry leaders which is designed to encourage everyone in the food sector to reduce the amount of waste which they throw away each year.

Put Food Wastage Under WRAPs

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) said that the amount of food being thrown away each year is worth around £770,000,000 per year. The more that waste is cut down the more money stays in the tills.

Unilever put the cost higher, if you calculate the amount of food that is thrown away at all levels of production then the figure which they believe would be more accurate is around £2.3 billion per year.

Andy Dawe from WRAP said: “tackling food waste can provide significant business savings for the hospitality industry. WRAP is starting to work closely with businesses to help realise these cost savings and eliminate food wastage wherever possible.

Not only did the research papers find that people wanted less food on their plates, 40% said that they would pay a premium to eat in a restaurant which had a commitment to reducing the amount of food was wasted. 30% said that they felt food waste was the responsibility of caterers to deal with in terms of reduction, a fringe element of 4% believed that it was the government’s responsibility to deal with waste food.

Taking The Battle From The Home Front To The High Street

Unilever say that the results show that the emphasis on reducing food waste is moving from the domestic to the commercial and pressure was increasing for restaurants, be they chippies, burger and pizza chains or hotels and Michelin Starred establishments to reduce the amount of waste that goes into their bins at the end of each shift.

MD of Unilever Food Solutions; Tracey Rogers said that: “We know that the government is committed to moving toward a zero waste society and our actions are going to be under the spotlight. We have the opportunity to take the initiative, and with small, everyday steps, we can reduce waste, respond to consumer concerns, improve kitchen efficiency and help caterers save money too.”

@DanCash Loves a takeaway in Croydon where he lives. Get a big old Chinese takeaway in Croydon and you’ve got lunch the next day. If you’re eating out, why not ask for a doggy bag?

 

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Stop Making Excuses, Make Fast Food At Home Instead

July 26, 2011 admin No comments

Talk to anyone about fast food and they’ll automatically think junk food, generally that’s not going to be a mistake, cheap, fast, processed food has lovely things like nutrition replaced with transfats, carbohydrates, salt and sugar. So fast isn’t necessarily good.

But that’s just the price we have to pay for convenience foods, right? Healthy food is cooked over a long time so if you want fast food, healthy’s not an option. But is that necessarily so?

Perhaps not.

If you dial out and get food delivered or drive out to the drive thru or the walk up and queue, order, wait, drive home it could still take you twenty or thirty minutes before you get your dinner. Well, I can cook a whole dinner in thirty minutes from fresh so, not that quick is it? Just not terribly healthy. If you cook the same thing that you ordered at home it generally works out cheaper (if you shop sensibly to begin with) healthier and in the same time. You know what’s in the food, how fresh it is and where it came from and that it’s all been properly stored and handled. A butcher wouldn’t sell you a joint that was going grey but who knows how old the meat is that gets made into a burger or indeed what sort of meat it is.

Cooking at home seems pricier because when you get your cart to the checkout the cost for a week, ten days or even more is all right there in front of you. Shop smart, take advantage of deals and offers and while the bill might still be bigger than is altogether welcome but compared against a weeks worth of takeaways you’re saving money and eating well. Wandering around the shop floor gives you a work out too so it’s a win win win situation!

There are specific ways that you can enjoy food that’s healthy, home cooked and fast, first of all, plan what you’re going to eat and shop accordingly. Wandering the aisles with no clue what you want will mean getting bored, buying too much and still not having anything that you want. If you know what you’re going to cook you know what to buy, when you get it all home, cook it! You don’t have to make the whole meal but prepping all the things you’re going to want right away will mean not having to do it on the day. Roast that chicken, it’ll keep in the fridge for days and you can put it in sandwiches, wraps, curry, whatever and because it’s already cooked it just has to heat through.

Oh wait, it’s OK the US Department of Agriculture says that fast food restaurants have to put up notices advising you of the food’s calorie count and the nutritional value alongside the USDA’s recommendations for a healthy diet. True, but independent research has shown that the restaurant’s estimates, far from being average, consistently underestimate the calorific content by about a hundred. And basing the choice of what to eat on calories alone is unwise. Factoring the overall size of the meal, the protein, starch, carbs and salt should all be considerations when picking your diet.

Some things that you’d assume are healthy are in fact worse than the traditional ‘bad’ foods. Several chains offer salads that come with dressings and sauces that end up meaning you’ll be eating more fat, sodium and sugar than if you went for the burger after all. A problem that wouldn’t occur if you made the meal at home, and who hasn’t got time to throw a salad together?

@DanCash is a feature writer who loves to grab the occasional takeaway in Fulham on the way home or get a pizza delivery in Southwark but only as an occasional treat or when there really is no time to cook.

 

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How Can You Get Healthy Fast Food From The Main Players?

June 30, 2011 admin No comments

While it remains cheap, filling tasty and convenient, fast food will always be one of our favourite treats. There’s not always time to sit down and order lunch at a ‘proper’ restaurant so dropping into a burger bar or Chinese takeaway might just be a hunger busting life saver!

While it’s convenient and invariably tasty there are inherent problems of course, we all know about the saturated fats, sugars, salt and over-processed wheat flour that’s used to make the irresistible goodies. We know that consuming a diet solely of fast food is bad for us not only physically but mentally too, the brain can become addicted to the pleasure hormones that fast food releases making it ever harder to get back to eating a healthy diet, then, once hooked and the weight problems ensue, the psychological harm that’s caused by overweight and the social stigma cannot be overestimated.

However, in an economy that’s anything but fat the temptation to get cheap, quick food can often verge on the irresistible, but, as an intelligent and informed consumer, how can you make the best choices when it comes to what to eat?

Quick Fix, Not Long Term Harm

Well, some experts say you can’t. And when you look at the facts it’s hard to argue: a Big Mac, regular fries and Coke provides 2/3 of your recommended daily intake of fat, 1.5g of transfat when doctors say you shouldn’t eat any and 111g of sugar, you should be eating 50-100g. A Whopper, medium fries and Coke has 62 of the 65 grams of fat that you should eat in a day, 88g of the sugar but only 88g of the 50-100 grams of sugar, just scraping under the wire but only leaving room for 12 more grams through the day.

Obviously, taking a large option, adding extra cheese will make the stats even worse. So what’s the answer.

Your grandma knows, didn’t she always tell you that you could have “everything in moderation?” Of course that old wisdom is right, you can sate your carnal urges to devour a burger or hotdog, whatever provided you only eat it occasionally, don’t let it become a habit. So, while finding a healthy meal when you drop into a fast food joint might be tricky and often a little more expensive than the unhealthy options, there are choices out there just remember to be good!

How Can You Make The Right Choices When Standing In Line?

If you’re already in line you’re basically walking through a minefield of unhealthy options but paying attention to the descriptions on the menu can help you find your way, obviously anything fried is going to be fattier than grilled or poached, if it comes in a creamy sauce, Alfredo, au gratin or breaded it’s going to be aswim in lard: Avoid!

Drinking water or fruit juice with your food can cut out a calamitous calorie count, water and juice are better for you than all the sugar that comes in sodas, they won’t contain caffeine and sugar free is a myth. Colas which claim to have zero sugar are coloured with caramel, which is made out of pure… Sugar!

Eat your food undressed, nudity helps you lose calories! But seriously, dressings for salads are usually oil and salt with a little vinegar or egg yolk, cheese or cream thrown in. Ask for your salads undressed (te he, oh I need to grow up!) and get separate sachets of dressing so you’re in control of how much goes on.

Ordering off menu is a good tip too, Burger king used to insist: “Want it your way? You got it!” so ask for grilled rather than fried, ask for no dressing, get extra salad and no cheese, get dressings on the side. You;ll make yourself distinctly unpopular if you try this during a busy lunch service or at a movie that’s just opening but try it when it’s quiet, you’ll be surprised how much healthier it can be.

Finally, think about what you’re eating. Think about what’s in you mouth with every bite, think about where it came from, remember to stop eating when you’re full,  avoid ordering just because you’re in a hurry and think about other, healthier food you could be eating instead.

Dan Cash is a feature writer who loves having the occasional Chinese takeaway in Ealing where he now lives, but not too many. If you’re after pizza, Milton Keynes has some great restaurants offering fresh, healthy pies

 

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Diners Ignore Healthy Meals At The Takeaway Store

May 26, 2011 admin No comments

It’s an important part of most fast food chain’s public reputation to offer a healthier menu from the typical burgers, fried chicken and pizza (not withstanding the KFC Double Down which replaces the ‘traditional’ bun with two chicken fillets), however, a recent survey has found that fewer than 3% of customers actually order them.

Louise Atkinson surveyed over 1000 Subway franchises and McDonald’s outlets, asking customers about what they were buying as part of a study that took two months to compile.

Atkinson, who is herself an accredited dietician, found that only around 2.5% of diners who ordered a main meal chose from the menus that contained meals with, what she describes  as, ‘substantial nutritional value.’ These meals included that McDonald’s Heart Foundation “Tick Approved” options or Subway’s ‘Six Grams Of Fat Or Less’ sandwiches.

Because of the obesity epidemic throughout the developed world, many fast food chains are offering a healthier or lighter meal option. A McDonald’s salad may contain more fat than some of their burgers but they certainly contain more vegetables so perhaps that’s a fait accompli.

Atkinson said “to their credit, they’ve created items that offer customers a choice, but our research shows that customers just aren’t choosing to eat these meals. If people were choosing a healthy option over a hamburger and fries then it’s a positive move. But they’re not.

“The problem with the traditional fast food take-aways is that they are typically kilojoule-laden and contain fewer vegetables.” Atkinson added.

Sales and advertising spokespeople claim that is the customers’ responsibility to take up the healthier options that they are being presented with as the fast food chains were providing healthy meals and a helping of social responsibility with their lower fat, lower salt, lower sugar meals.

Assistant professor of Marketing, Petra Bouvain said “these results are not surprising, McDonalds has positioned itself as a fast food business. While people may be aware of the healthy choices through advertising and controversies in the media, they don’t go to McDonalds for a macrobiotic meal.”

It was felt that there are essentially two groups in society, those who are prepared to chow down on junk food and sugary drinks, not caring about the health consequences and those who are increasingly looking for healthy options. The people who care and want to find food which is going to be good for them are not the type who are ever going to set foot inside a fast food joint to find something to eat so the nutritional value of their healthy meals does far more good to their public image than it does for any of their diners.

Dan Cash is a features writer who sometimes goes out for a Chinese takeaway in Stoke On Trent. When you’re at the takeaway reading the menu isn’t enough, you need to know the nutritional values too, they might not promote it but you can often get a pamphlet which gives you the low-down from behind the counter. You just have to ask for it.

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