Special Nutrition
Nutrition Concerns and Healthy Choices
When your foodservice patrons or healthcare clients require—or choose—special diets, Cook’s Delight® soup bases and flavor blends are an excellent solution for every healthy choice. When you stock your foodservice kitchen with Cook’s Delight® soup bases, you are prepared to fulfill a wide variety of special diets and special requests. In some cases, you may even be legally required to offer gluten free or allergen free menu options.
Gluten Free Trends in Foodservice
Three million Americans have celiac disease and must maintain a rigorously gluten free diet for health. At the same time, “Gluten free diets have expanded beyond those with celiac disease,” according to USA Today. “Millions of people are buying gluten free foods because they say they make them feel better, even if they don’t have a wheat allergy. Americans were expected to spend $7 billion on gluten free foods last year [2012].” About one-third of adults are choosing gluten free, according to the NPD Group.
“Many restaurants are now offering gluten free items,” according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. And gluten free cuisine is the overall number-five top culinary trend according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2014 Culinary Forecast.
With the demand for gluten free dining even among those who do not have celiac disease, many caterers and foodservice operations are choosing to expand gluten free options. For example, United Airlines announced in 2014 that it would expand gluten free menu offerings, specifically including gluten free soup and gluten free salad dressings.
Did you know? A 2013 US Department of Justice ruling required Lesley University to “continually provide” gluten free dining options to students and pay damages to students with celiac disease. The ruling came under the auspices of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This makes widely deployed gluten free menu solutions a must for any C&U foodservice operation. Explore gluten free soup base and flavor options on the Cook’s Delight® Complete Product List.
Explore our full line of Cook’s Delight® Gluten Free Soup Bases and Flavor Concentrates and learn how our soup bases can help you create better recipes and delight your customers. Learn more about soup base
Allergen Free Trends in Foodservice: Big 8
Fifteen million Americans risk life-threatening anaphylaxis due to food allergies, according to Food Allergy Research & Education. As summarized by the FDA upon the introduction of the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act in 2004, approximately 2% of adults and about 5% of infants and young children in the United States suffer from food allergies. In addition, roughly 30,000 individuals require emergency room treatment and 150 individuals die because of allergic reactions to food every year. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act targeted the big 8 food allergens—those that represent 90% of allergic reactions to foods. The big 8 allergens are: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.
Analysis of the same 2013 US Department of Justice ruling named above suggests that interpretations of the Americans with Disabilities Act may also apply to students with severe food allergies, reports USA Today. The School Nutrition Foundation agrees. In schools, allergies are a growing concern in foodservice, according to the Foundation. Failure to comply can be life-threatening. See resources for school foodservice on the School Nutrition Foundation website for more details.
The 2013 FDA Food Code continues its guidance introduced in 2009 to protect foodservice consumers from anaphylaxis related to food allergy. Provisions include food allergy awareness and training for the person in charge.
Explore Big 8 Allergen Free Cook’s Delight® soup bases and flavor options
Low Sodium Trends in Foodservice
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 continue to recommend that healthy adults limit intake of sodium for optimal health. The top-rated diet, as ranked by US News and World Report, is the DASH Diet. DASH, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and is among the most broadly adopted by the medical community for treatment of hypertension. It features a sodium intake of 2,300 mg or less per day.
Explore Low Sodium Cook’s Delight® soup bases
Cook’s Delight® Soup Bases and Nutrition
Cook’s Delight® soup bases and blends are must-have inventory items for restaurants, hospitals, long term care, college and university dining, school foodservice, and caterers to meet the nutritional demands and preferences of today’s foodservice customer. Use them to build healthy choices in your foodservice menus.
Explore the special nutritional attributes and your wide array of soup base choices Cook’s Delight® offers.
