PBH and CIA join forces for healthier menu choices
PBH and CIA join forces for healthier menu choices
Chefs and foodservice leaders from America's top chain restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and key members of the produce industry joined forces to develop options for making fruits and vegetables more available to the growing number of consumers who rely on away-from-home purchases for meals and snacks.
Produce First! American Menus Initiative, an innovative collaboration between Produce for Better Health Foundation and the Culinary Institute of America was held Jan. 15 at the CIA at Greystone in Napa Valley, CA.
"Of the many diet and health imperatives facing the foodservice industry, one of the most pressing is the need to dramatically increase the amount of produce that our industry prepares and serves in order to help customers meet the newly increased recommendations for fruits and vegetables," said Greg Drescher, senior director for strategic initiatives for the Culinary Institute of America. "Given this, we are excited to be collaborating with the Produce for Better Health Foundation in staging Produce First! American Menus Initiative and bringing leading corporate chefs and multi-unit menu developers together to learn more about how healthy, contemporary flavors perfectly pair with a world of American produce."
New research showing the foodservice industry's strong interest in adding more produce to menus and emphasizing the need for new fruit and vegetable applications and recipes set the stage for the menu development discussions. Key findings focused on opportunities to take fruits beyond their current role as accompaniments to core applications, new options for vegetables in all menu parts, and the importance of ethnic cuisines in delivering the taste appeal consumers demand.
The research, conducted by Technomic Inc., also showed that the demand for new product development is driven by the foodservice industry's primary considerations when adding new menu items: food costs, flavor, consumer trends and profitability.
"Clearly the challenge is to provide new ideas and recipes that will showcase the incredible flavors of fruits and vegetables while maintaining appropriate levels of profitability," said Elizabeth Pivonka, president and chief executive officer of PBH. "That takes the combined efforts of the foodservice industry's finest marketers and chefs and the produce industry's most innovative suppliers of fruits and vegetables -- exactly the mix Produce First! provides."
The meeting highlighted culinary strategies from the Mediterranean, Asia, Latin America and the United States. It also featured a chef/operator and produce industry dialogue on meeting the challenge of the 2005 dietary guidelines that call for Americans to more than double their fruit and vegetable consumption. These sessions provided further insight for Produce First's main event -- the hands-on preparation of fruit and vegetable items for all parts of the menu.
"After a day of discussing how to provide more fruit and vegetable options on America's menus, it was inspiring to watch these teams of talented chefs put our discussions into practice," said Dr. Pivonka. "Their unforgettable assortment of soups, salads, entrees, side dishes and desserts, along with wonderful Napa Valley wines, made for a memorable dinner and validated that we made progress on providing new menus options for fruits and vegetables."
PBH will make the recipes with photos and nutritional information widely available to the foodservice industry in the Produce First! American Menus Initiative report. The report, available in the spring, also will include highlights from the research and program presentations. To request a copy of the report, contact Christine Filardo at [email protected] or call 302/235-2329.
Produce First! was sponsored by A. Duda & Sons Inc., the California Avocado Commission, the Florida Tomato Committee, Mann Packing Co. Inc., the Mushroom Council, Nunhems, Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., Pear Bureau Northwest, Sunkist Growers, the U.S. Potato Board and Ventura Foods LLC.
Produce First! American Menus Initiative, an innovative collaboration between Produce for Better Health Foundation and the Culinary Institute of America was held Jan. 15 at the CIA at Greystone in Napa Valley, CA.
"Of the many diet and health imperatives facing the foodservice industry, one of the most pressing is the need to dramatically increase the amount of produce that our industry prepares and serves in order to help customers meet the newly increased recommendations for fruits and vegetables," said Greg Drescher, senior director for strategic initiatives for the Culinary Institute of America. "Given this, we are excited to be collaborating with the Produce for Better Health Foundation in staging Produce First! American Menus Initiative and bringing leading corporate chefs and multi-unit menu developers together to learn more about how healthy, contemporary flavors perfectly pair with a world of American produce."
New research showing the foodservice industry's strong interest in adding more produce to menus and emphasizing the need for new fruit and vegetable applications and recipes set the stage for the menu development discussions. Key findings focused on opportunities to take fruits beyond their current role as accompaniments to core applications, new options for vegetables in all menu parts, and the importance of ethnic cuisines in delivering the taste appeal consumers demand.
The research, conducted by Technomic Inc., also showed that the demand for new product development is driven by the foodservice industry's primary considerations when adding new menu items: food costs, flavor, consumer trends and profitability.
"Clearly the challenge is to provide new ideas and recipes that will showcase the incredible flavors of fruits and vegetables while maintaining appropriate levels of profitability," said Elizabeth Pivonka, president and chief executive officer of PBH. "That takes the combined efforts of the foodservice industry's finest marketers and chefs and the produce industry's most innovative suppliers of fruits and vegetables -- exactly the mix Produce First! provides."
The meeting highlighted culinary strategies from the Mediterranean, Asia, Latin America and the United States. It also featured a chef/operator and produce industry dialogue on meeting the challenge of the 2005 dietary guidelines that call for Americans to more than double their fruit and vegetable consumption. These sessions provided further insight for Produce First's main event -- the hands-on preparation of fruit and vegetable items for all parts of the menu.
"After a day of discussing how to provide more fruit and vegetable options on America's menus, it was inspiring to watch these teams of talented chefs put our discussions into practice," said Dr. Pivonka. "Their unforgettable assortment of soups, salads, entrees, side dishes and desserts, along with wonderful Napa Valley wines, made for a memorable dinner and validated that we made progress on providing new menus options for fruits and vegetables."
PBH will make the recipes with photos and nutritional information widely available to the foodservice industry in the Produce First! American Menus Initiative report. The report, available in the spring, also will include highlights from the research and program presentations. To request a copy of the report, contact Christine Filardo at [email protected] or call 302/235-2329.
Produce First! was sponsored by A. Duda & Sons Inc., the California Avocado Commission, the Florida Tomato Committee, Mann Packing Co. Inc., the Mushroom Council, Nunhems, Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., Pear Bureau Northwest, Sunkist Growers, the U.S. Potato Board and Ventura Foods LLC.
