BAPTIST HEALTH CAFETERIA MENU LOOKS TO GET MORE FRESH & FIT
Mike Buzalka
Baptist Health in Louisville is looking to add more healthy items to its cafeteria menu as an alternative to some perennial favorites like chicken tenders and cheeseburgers.
our culinary teams to create flavorful, healthy dishes to meet the needs of both our patients and our cafeteria guests. The skills developed has allowed us to be even more creative in our patient services.” FM: How do you promote healthier items in the cafeteria—signage? pricing? placement? Etc.? Shoopman: “We use an apple symbol on our menu screens to identify the Fresh & Fit items quickly. We also have signage posted in the cafeteria and on our webpage that describes the program in more detail (i.e. nutrient limits). Our cafeteria teams are also trained to be able to quickly describe the program to customers as well.” FM: Are the customers in the cafeteria primarily staff or visitors and do there seem to be differences in what they tend to order? Shoopman: “We have a healthy mix of both staff and visitors in our cafeterias. The facilities who have remodeled their cafeterias for a more modern restaurant-style dining experience see more visitor traffic than those who have not.”
A recent local news story announced that the cafeteria at Baptist Health Hospital in Louisville last year served cafeteria served some 127,934 orders of chicken tenders, along with 134,030 sides of French fries, 3,813 chef salads, 316,538 pieces of bacon and 39,716 Diet Mountain Dews, with the cheeseburger being the most requested item with some 56,419 served at the venue’s grills. While those selections are obviously popular for cafeteria patrons, Baptist Health has also rolled out a Fresh & Fit menu featuring healthier profile items that it will be promoting in 2023 and beyond.
Watch the local news story here
FM approached Shoopman with three questions about the hospital’s meal services and the Fresh & Fit program…
Here are the criteria Baptist Health uses to define Fresh & Fit entrees and sides:
FRESH & FIT CRITERIA
Course Total Kcals
Total Fat
Sat. Fat
600 Sodium (mg) < _
< _
< _
< _ < _
Entree
500
30% 5 grams
Baptist Health recently remodeled dining space offers a modern atmosphere for customers
< _
< _
< _
Sides
3 grams
250
50%
250
FM: What are some of the prominent selections included in the Fresh & Fit menu? Shoopman: “Many of our fish or plant-based options are included in the Fresh & Fit menu, as well as reworked homestyle favorites. Some of our most popular Fresh & Fit dishes—meat loaf and turkey with cornbread dressing—are also on our patient menu. Having the program in our retail space has challenged
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