HOSPITAL FOOD SERVICE DEPARTMENT

 Diet is an essential component of recovery from any major disease or surgery. Patients across all the leading hospitals are prescribed therapeutic diets based on individual nutritional requirements to promote healing.

HOSPITAL FOOD SERVICE DEPARTMENT

The foodservice department of hospitals plays a crucial role in preparing the prescribed diets.

The aim is to cook and serve customized meals to patients with utmost hygiene followed at all times. Be it ingredient or food commodity selection, handling, storage or appropriate food preparation method or even temperature selection, great effort is put in by the catering department that includes professional chefs for meal preparation and highly trained staff to deliver cooked meals to respective patients at the right time.

The major challenge while feeding a patient is considering all dietary likes and dislikes and accordingly formulating a nutritious recipe. Delivering appropriate nourishment to any patient requires the Dietician to design variety of delicious and nutritious meals and the kitchen department is needed to cook the same. This way, monotony in diet is avoided and the patient agrees to eat well. Once the Nutritionist finalizes a meal plan, the kitchen department cooks the meal as per the recommendations.

Depending on the medical condition of the patient, a meal plan is prescribed the dietician and the foodservice department generally prepares the following types of diets:

Types of Diets Prepared: 

· Soft diets

· Renal diets

· Hypertension diets

· Liver-friendly diets

· Diabetic diets

· Protein rich diets

· Soups & broths

· Blenderized diets

· Diets for Paediatrics

· Gluten free diet

· Allergen free diet

The patient’s dietary choice is given priority by regularly updating the menus and then offering various seasonal options.

Generate interest and enthusiasm by eliminating the stereotyped opinions about hospital food.

Based on the seasonal variations in produce like fruits and vegetables provide weekly menus. When a menu is being planned, it is essential to keep the therapeutic requirement of the patient.

As the food is being prepared for patients, it is essential to make the food to not only taste good but also to look more appetizing and interesting by working on the presentation of the food by using colour combinations, texture, etc.

The kitchen department also cooks regular staff meals and meals for patient - visitors in the hospital.

A variety of choice in food is given to the patients by the food catering contractors:

Methods of Cooking used in Hospital Foodservice Systems:

Depending upon the number of patients admitted to the hospital or the total number and types of cooked meals to be sent out in a day, the foodservice department may follow either of the following cooking techniques to ensure a fresh and therapeutically altered meal reaches every patient in the allocated time frame.

Cook Fresh System:

In a cook fresh system, food is prepared close to the meal time and the hot food is plated hot after some time in “hot holding,” which usually involves holding bulk gastronomy trays of food over a customized hot water.

To maximize nutrient retention, quality, color, and flavor the time in “hot holding” should be kept short (ideally less than 30 minutes).

 Cook-Chill System:

A cook-chill system involves cooking the meals well in advance and rapidly chilling for retherming at a later stage. The advantage of this method is that cooked meals are always available and it also accounts for improved temperature control, cost savings due to bulk purchasing.

Cook Freeze System:

Cook freeze method is similar to cook chill, except that the meals that are cooked in advance are quickly frozen (rather than chilled) in a blast freezer for use at a later stage. Items may be frozen in bulk or as individual portions to provide greater menu flexibility, particularly for patients with special dietary requirements (i.e., gluten free).

Each method of food preparation and delivery has their own advantages and disadvantages in terms of nutrient losses, flexibility, wastage, food safety, staff skills required, and food appearance and palatability.

Food Safety:

Food safety is always critical, but extra care is to be taken when preparing and serving food for hospitalized patients who are likely to be more susceptible to foodborne illness due to their ill health and compromised immunity. Therefore, anyone involved in handling the food should receive and follow appropriate food safety measures.

Sustainability, Environment, and Costing:

In all foodservice settings there is increasing consumer demand for greater attention to the nutritional quality and environmental impact of the food being offered.

While preparing therapeutically tailored meals a lot of raw cooking material may be dumped into trash bins and for this reason, hospital foodservice systems are evaluated as sole producers of nearly 50% of all the hospital waste.

High levels of plate waste contribute to malnutrition- related complications in hospital, and there are also financial and environmental costs. Plate waste is typically measured by weighing the amount of food remaining on the plate, with results presented as the percentage by weight of the served food, or by calculating the protein, energy or monetary value of the waste.

In conclusion, hospital food catering provides service to both inpatient and outpatient facilities. Dieticians regularly supervise the stores and kitchen area to make sure that the food preparation is being done hygienically and as per the nutritional requirements of the patient.

The food service facilities need to be on par for early recovery of patients. Hospital catering services need to stay focused and committed to providing delicious and nutritious food of the highest quality and standards not only to the hospital staff and patients but also to the patient’s visitors as well.

ZOHA SAMREEN KHAN

M.Sc. II

120420688003

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