Canteen Food

The number of people who cannot prepare their own meals due to lack of time and illness or for convenience, but visit the canteens of schools, hospitals, retirement homes, fast food restaurants and company cafeterias, is constantly increasing. However, the food in canteens is usually of poor quality because it is usually not delivered fresh but prefabricated, and in this state it is subjected to long periods of storage and kept warm for long periods before it is finally consumed by the consumer. Food from canteens is usually industrially produced finished products that only need to be heated or sautéed in large quantities in the canteen kitchens. Consumers must expect these foods to be enriched with high levels of preservatives and additives to protect them from premature spoilage. Thus, canteen meals usually contain a lot of salt, sugar and fat, but hardly any nutrients and vital substances (macro- and micronutrients). Industrial processing puts a lot of stress on food, as processing methods are accompanied by high temperatures as well as long heating times. In particular, sensitive vital substances (micronutrients), such as vitamins B1 and C, suffer from extreme exposure to temperature and water. The food is additionally pre-cooked, as there is no time for elaborate cooking and preparation in canteen kitchens due to the large quantities of food. However, the pre-cooked state makes the food very susceptible to external influences such as oxygen, light, bacteria and free radicals, to which the food is exposed through long transports and storage. Enzymatic as well as bacterial processes are accelerated and, in addition to light, oxygen and free radicals – for example air pollutants and heavy metals – are the cause of considerable vitamin degradation and the functional impairment or destruction of many other nutrients and vital substances (macro- and micronutrients), such as essential fatty acids, amino acids and secondary plant substances in the food. Improper transportation and storage increase the loss of nutrients and vital substances (macro- and micronutrients). In cafeteria kitchens, food is kept warm for long periods of time or left in a cut state – salad bar. Due to this handling, the vital substance content is seriously reduced, because the majority of vitamins and secondary plant substances are extremely sensitive to heat, light and oxygen. For example, cut lettuce and chopped vegetables lose up to 30% of their vitamins within one hour due to contact with oxygen and light. If a tomato is also exposed to light and oxygen for one hour, it loses 50% of the antioxidant secondary plant compound lycopene. Significant losses can be expected under the same conditions for vitamins C, A, D, E and K. Keeping food warm for longer periods of time results in losses of the heat-sensitive vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12 and C. Furthermore, foods leach out when kept hot for long periods of time due to loss of vital nutrients and fluids. Vitamin C losses of 100 g of peas from a hospital meal.

With canteen food the vital material need (macro and micro nutrients) cannot be covered consequently. Often the selection of the offered food is only small and clearly too little fresh fruit and vegetable as well as milk and milk products are processed and/or offered. People who eat mainly cafeteria food therefore have an increased need for essential nutrients and vital substances (macro- and micronutrients). Canteen meal – vital material deficiency (micro nutrients)