A methodology for the certification of food-serving services according to the Mediterranean dietary model

Transcription

1 A methodology for the certification of food-serving services according to the Mediterranean dietary model Evangelos Grigoroudis a, Antonia Psaroudaki b,c a Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece (vangelis@ergasya.tuc.gr) b Technological Educational Institute of Crete, Sitia, Greece (psaroudaki@staff.teicrete.gr) c Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece ABSTRACT In the era of globalization, the concept of national dietary models has been remarkably reduced to a minimum, given the fact that the selection of different types of food depends on more factors compared to the past. Research and epidemiological results associating the Mediterranean diet with good health have led to an examination of the economic aspect of the Mediterranean diet. Certifying a dietary model presupposes its historic character and the exact determination of its content. The aforementioned findings justify the need to certify this model in food-serving businesses within the framework of a wider quality management system. The main objective of the paper is to investigate the potential of the Mediterranean dietary model to inspire proposals of meals by food-serving services and suggests a methodology for the certification of such services, according to this model. The quality manual, including policies, procedures, and work instructions are outlined following the structure of other quality management systems, as well as the characteristics of the dietary habits in the 1960 s in Greece. The development of the certification procedure follows the structure of the ISO 9000 series and requires the compilation of quality manuals, including the assessment of quality policies, the analysis of procedures, and the development of work instructions, as well as the documentation of the whole quality management system. Keywords: Mediterranean diet; Mediterranean diet pyramid; Dietary models; Certification of food-serving services INTRODUCTION The characteristics of the Mediterranean diet, as determined by the Oldways Health Organization, the World Health Organization, and the Harvard School of Public Health, are typical of the diet of Cretans in the 1960 s [1]. The term traditional Mediterranean diet is used to describe the dietary habits that were typical in certain regions of the Mediterranean in the early 1960 s, such as Crete, some areas in the rest of Greece and southern Italy [2]. Based on the above findings, the need to certify this model in food-serving businesses within the framework of a wider system of quality management seems to be even bigger. The association of the Mediterranean diet with good health has boosted the desire of consumers, especially in tourist areas, to follow the Mediterranean/Cretan dietary model [3], [4]. This fact has led professionals in the food-serving sector to advertise the delivery of such services. The study of dietary habits nowadays is particularly important as it constitutes one of the main instruments, together with a healthy diet, for setting national strategies and aim at the population s good health [5], [6], [7]. The term dietary habits refers to the dietary customs and concerns food types, food consumption frequencies, food consumption and cooking methods, cooking utensils, number of meals per day, duration and conditions of the meals. The main certifying efforts in the broader area of dietary models in Greece include the following: 1. Greek Cuisine Quality Label: The Hellenic Food Safety Authority (EFET) was established by the Law 2741/1999; the same law also established the Greek Cuisine Quality Label (article 21) and mentions that the Greek Cuisine Quality Label is hereby established, awarded to any type of food-serving and leisure businesses [8]. This special label certifies that the specific business offers a satisfactory quality of Greek cuisine dishes combined with a satisfactory quality of overall services. This special label is awarded by the Greek National Tourism Organization following a petition of the interested business. 2. Conserving Cretan Diet (CONCRED): Within the framework of the Regional programme of innovative actions Crete-Innovative Region the participating organizations contributed in developing a programme for the certification of restaurants that serve good Cretan cuisine. In order to be certified

2 according to the abovementioned programme, the participating restaurants were required to meet conditions based on the respective articles of the Ministerial Decision no. 4333/01 for the Greek cuisine. Moreover, the owners of the businesses were given detailed information on presentation, conservation, serving various food and drinks that are typical of the Mediterranean model, as well as explanations on the importance of their nutritional value and the beneficial role in enhancing man s health. Furthermore, controls of the businesses that are certified based on the CONCRED programme are quite often and include tasting, sampling of food and spectrometer analyses ( 3. Quality Label of Cretan Cuisine: The procedures for finalizing the criteria for the award of the Quality Label of the Cretan Cuisine are being processed at this time within the framework of the Cretan Quality Agreement, which is a non-profit organisation established by all four Prefectural Authorities of the island of Crete. The company s aims are to preserve, promote and disseminate the Cretan diet model as well as to proceed with the certification of food-serving businesses that offer Cretan cuisine. To receive the Quality Label of Cretan Cuisine, a food-serving business must meet certain requirements that respect the following principles ( (a) offer Cretan diet dishes, which will be significantly greater in number compared to other dishes, (b) exclusive use of local products (apart from those which are not abundant in Crete), (c) exclusive use of olive oil in the overall cooking, including frying, and (d) compliance with all hygiene and food safety requirements, pursuant to the legislation in force. The abovementioned efforts support the necessity for setting up rules for the use of terms such as Greek cuisine and Cretan diet so that the quality of the services provided by food-serving businesses is secured. However, none of these efforts deals with the problem of certification within the framework of a quality management system, as well as the overall concept of the Mediterranean diet, which constitutes the focus of the present study. In this study, the main parts of a quality management system that can support the certification methodology of the Mediterranean dietary model are proposed. The presented study highlights the necessity, as well as the possibility to develop a certification methodology. There are important benefits for any business organization from the food-serving sector which can certify this dietary model and adopt a quality assurance philosophy. Such business organizations may become more competitive, which results in a remarkable boost in client confidence. At the same time, this contributes to the safeguarding of an important cultural legacy, which can enhance the sustainability of the tourism sector. MATERIALS & METHODS For this study, we have used the results of the seven countries study on food types and general dietary habits in Greece and areas of southern Italy in the 1960 s [9], [10], [11]. The development of specifications in the quality manual follows the Mediterranean diet pyramid, as it was developed by the Oldways Health Organization, the World Health Organization and the Harvard School of Public Health in 1942, taking into consideration dietary directions on food expressed by the Supreme Special Scientific Health Council under the auspices of the Ministry of Health and Solidarity [12]. For the development of the certification procedure, the structure of the ISO 9000 and the HACCP series were followed [13], [14]. RESULTS & DISCUSSION The development of the certification procedure that follows the structures of the ISO 9000 series requires the compilation of quality manuals, including the assessment of quality policies, the analysis of procedures, and the development of work instructions, as well as the documentation of the whole quality management system [13], [14]. Quality manual Food-serving businesses that wish to be certified based on the Mediterranean model should be able to offer one or more Mediterranean menus. To achieve this, it is necessary to: follow the principles described in the production flow with reference to the selection, preparation and serving of food according to the Mediterranean dietary model; allocate responsibilities and competencies so that the quality system can be applied and operate efficiently. According to the seven countries study, which studied in a scientific manner the dietary model of Mediterranean populations, the Mediterranean diet is characterized by [1], [2]: higher consumption ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids, high consumption of pulses, high consumption of grains

3 (bread), high consumption of fruit, high consumption of vegetables, moderate to high consumption of fish and seafood, moderate to high consumption of milk and dairy products, low consumption of alcohol (wine) and low consumption of meat and meat preparations. The above characteristics, translated into food quantities, are represented in the food pyramid that was prepared by the Supreme Special Scientific Health Council. More specifically, it is mentioned that on a daily basis, the following should be consumed: 8 microportions of coarsely processed cereals and cereal products such as whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, husked rice, 3 microportions of fruit, 6 microportions vegetables and greens, olive oil as the main additive fat, and 2 microportions of dairy products. Also, the following should be consumed on a weekly basis: 5-6 microportions of fish and seafood, 4 microportions of poultry, 3-4 microportions of pulses and dried fruits, 3 microportions of potatoes, 3-4 of eggs, and 3 microportions of sweets. Furthermore, on a monthly basis, no more than 4 microportions of red meat should be consumed. Finally, It should also be taken into account in preparing the meals that 1 microportion corresponds to half the portion described by market control regulations, while people should consume daily approximately 23 microportions of food in at least three meals. A typical organization chart of a food-serving company is shown in Figure 1. The owner of the business can be also the quality manager, but, in any case, such a job position should be held by a person with knowledge on diet and food, as well as on the Mediterranean diet model, so that quality principles can be controlled and production responsibilities and tasks are properly allocated. The management of the business should provide the necessary resources so that the employee who handles food provisions may be able to select the proper ones. The provisions manager should have catalogues of selected suppliers, manuals with fruit and vegetables per season, and characteristics and names of specific types of food-varieties. General Manager Quality Manager Provisions Manager Production Manager (Chef) Hall Manager Cleaning Crew Chef Assistants Cooks Waiters Figure 1. Example of an organization chart in a food-serving company Procedures manual The procedures manual describes the operating procedures that define the function of a business venture and covers the way and the means of this function. Food-serving businesses have certain particular characteristics, which must be taken into consideration during the design and the implementation of any type of quality assurance system [14], [15], such as reorganization/reallocation of staff at relatively short intervals (change of cooks, waiters etc.), high profit margins, and large variety of products, ingredients, menus and processing methods that can be used. The main procedures followed by food-serving services are: 1. Production flow: The most common production flow at a restaurant includes the following procedures: Supply and selection of provisions, Delivery of provisions and storage, Preparation and cooking, Conservation and serving. The main principals that should be highlighted in the procedure manual are as follows: a. The selection, supply, delivery and storage of provisions constitute the provisions management. Thus, this procedure concerns the supply of provisions and accessories that are necessary for the preparation of the product (food) by the business. The aim of this procedure is to establish and maintain a system that secures the supply of provisions that are necessary for the preparation of food according to the requirements of the Mediterranean diet model, the selection of proper suppliers, who can provide products according to the requirements of the model, the preparation of orders with

4 sufficient documentation (order, delivery, control of materials and products), and the supply of cooking utensils, table cloths, napkins etc. According to the manual, once or twice a week (or on some occasions even on a daily basis) the production manager makes a list of shortages in food provisions (raw food) and forwards it to the provisions manager either via a software program or in writing, depending on the size and the infrastructure of the business. The provisions manager prepares the order form which describes the kind, quantity, and desired delivery time of the food products required and selects from the list of approved suppliers those who can deliver the specific provisions. The delivery of the provisions can be made at the seat of the business or even at the shop of the supplier or at the farm. The delivery manager verifies the quantities of the provisions delivered at the business by comparing them with all the supporting documents (shipping invoices) that accompany them. At the same time, the quality control takes place. The supply of utensils and other durables is of minor importance compared to the provision of food provisions but equally important as to the quality of the services provided by the business. The persons involved in this procedure are the general manager, the quality manager, the production manager, but also probably some external partner (professional decorator). b. The preparation of food, the cooking, the conservation of food and the serving of dishes constitute the production organization procedure. The aim of this procedure is to establish and to maintain a system which will enable the production of dishes in a controlled manner, the product control and tasting, and the conservation/serving of the dishes appropriately. According to the manual, the production of the dishes offered at the food-serving business is concluded by the production manager (chef) and his/her assistants, according to the menu and is controlled by the quality manager. Cooking can be a control point as to which diet model is followed. Cooking utensils, cooking method of specific foods (braising of wild greens, stuffing of boiled guts, adding of wine), and the combination of foods in order to form main dishes or desserts and the use of olive oil are basic points that can be controlled. The use of olive oil is necessary even when frying (a laboratory testing might be necessary); a sample should be taken from the oils used in the kitchen as well as from the oils used in frying pans in order to assess whether they are frequently changed. Also, any condiments used in cooking should be natural (fresh or dried). 2. Compilation/Reorganization of menu: The goal of this procedure is to establish weekly menus so that the model may be better approached. Usually, restaurants offering Mediterranean/Greek cuisine offer on a daily basis dishes that constitute Sunday or festive meals in the Mediterranean dietary model. Foodserving services that are certified for implementing the Mediterranean dietary model could offer menus that include e.g. fish and poultry together of course with vegetables and wild greens, as well as dishes of pulses on week days (standard Mediterranean meal) and meat dishes on weekends. Of course, beside the Mediterranean menus, clients should be able to choose meat dishes on week days as well if they wish to do so. At this point, it would be useful if the client was informed about the special characteristics of the Mediterranean cuisine with reference to the consumption frequency and quantity of various dishes (e.g. print the Mediterranean pyramid on disposable tablecloths, with dietary tips printed on placemats). Moreover, it is possible to introduce new elements (new dishes and combinations, novel food products, foods from different countries) but without disrupting the basic characteristics of the dietary model. When compiling a Mediterranean style menu, the quality manager should include at least 3 microportions of vegetables in appetizers and side-dishes, at least 1 microportions of dairy products, usually some kind of cheese, and at least 2 microportions of fish, poultry or pulses for the main dish. The combinations of appetizers and main dishes are particularly rich in the Mediterranean Greek cuisine and therefore allow for a daily option of at least three different menus that follow the Mediterranean dietary model. 3. Hiring and training of employees: Usually, staff recruitment is carried out by the owner or the general manager. However, all recruitments should be checked by the quality manager, who should certify their knowledge of the dietary pattern and encourage their training. Quality and production managers should be able to certify their knowledge of the Mediterranean dietary model as well as the necessary experience and skills, while the rest of the staff should be trained on the typical characteristics of the Mediterranean dietary model. Training material (seminar material, books, and journals) should be part of the documents and records of the business together with all of training records (training staff tabs). 4. Customer satisfaction measurement: The main aim of the procedure is to estimate the customer satisfaction level and define the importance of the main factors that may affect it. Customer satisfaction

5 in this case is related with the final product (offered dishes), as well as with any services provided by food-serving organizations (e.g. dining halls, table spots, lighting, decoration, waiters behaviour). It should be noted that this procedure do not only concern the certification of the Mediterranean diet, but it constitute an important process of any food-serving service. According to the manual, customer satisfaction measurement requires data collection directly from the clients. This information concerns customers perceptions about the offered product and services, while additional data related to customers profile, characteristics, and preferences should be also collected. There are several alternative approaches that can be used in order to collect this information. In the case of a food-serving organization, the most common approaches include the use of a review book, which can be located in a conspicuous place or offered to clients just before his/her departure, or a short questionnaire offered to clients during the dessert. In many cases, customer satisfaction data are collected through the direct contact between the clients and the first-line employees. In any case, the collected information is evaluated by the general manager, the quality manager, and the production manager in order to identify specific improvement actions. 5. Complaint management and corrective actions: The main aim of this procedure is to determine how to resolve quality problems associated with customers complaints or non-conformance of delivery products and services, according to the quality manual. Thus, the organization will be able to avoid such quality problems in the future and adopt a continuous improvement philosophy. According to the manual, the quality manager should take into account all available information (customer satisfaction results, customer complaints, problems with suppliers and collaborators, employee reports for raw materials, third-party suggestions, etc.) and examine potential improvement/preventive actions. A written report can be submitted where all the causes that have led to the need of a particular corrective/preventive measure are documented. In any case, it is important to evaluate the results of such actions. Documentation The necessary documentation contains data and information that are critical for the justification and the validity of the quality management system. It includes forms and other documents that record data during the implementation of the quality management processes [13]. They also include work instructions, which describe the execution of all the works that may have an effect on the output of the aforementioned procedures. The documentation can also include all the laws and the provisions, which are related with the operation of the food-serving services, as well as the laws included in the food and drinks code. The documentation is used as a proof that the requirements of the quality management system are met. In general, the documentation includes forms, checklists, records, and other lists (additional records that support specific procedures). The quality manager of the food-serving business is responsible for the maintenance and control of the documents. The following documents can be found at a food-serving business: Order form Contract form for suppliers List of required materials (food by category, special lists, like lists of traditional Greek cheeses and their characteristics, herbs, varieties of fruits, vegetables, seasonal) Lists of other materials durable/ non- durable (e.g. tables, tablecloths, napkins, toilet papers, soap, pots) Storehouse lists Shipping invoices, invoices List of approved suppliers Training programmes and other educational material for staff Reports List of recipes (traditional recipes) Catalogues of offered meals (for guests) CONCLUSION The clear association of Mediterranean diet with health, based on scientific studies, leads to a demand of products and services that are connected with the Mediterranean dietary model, especially by the peoples of developed countries. The producers of such products and services should be able to certify the correct delivery of such products and services and to ensure their quality. Hence, their food-serving services become more competitive, their products and services become more useful, which results in a remarkable boost in client confidence. At the same time, this contributes to the safeguarding of an important cultural legacy that

6 promotes good health of citizens (which is the primary concern of health services of the European Union through legislation), which can enhance the sustainability of the tourism sector. In this study, we presented in detail the basic points for the compilation of a quality manual and a procedures and directions manual, which can support the certification methodology of the Mediterranean dietary model, following the structures of the ISO 9000 series. Based on the fact that the certification of the Mediterranean diet model has not been attempted yet, this study highlights the necessity as well as the possibility to develop a certification methodology. A follow-up of the same matter, could possibly involve an investigation of the bodies that could undertake the certification process, the control and inspection system of the food-serving services as well as their promotion. At a second level, the enhancement of the criteria of the quality manual could be investigated, with regard to the selection of food, with the use of organic foods or food products certified according to Good Agricultural Practices. The benefits that a business can earn from the certification of this dietary model and the wider system of quality assurance of its services become apparent in a short time. A business that adopts such systems becomes more competitive and its products and services become more useful, which results in a remarkable boost in client confidence. At the same time, this contributes to the safeguarding of an important cultural legacy, which can enhance the sustainability of the tourism sector [16], [17]. REFERENCES [1] Willett W.C., Sacks F., Trichopoulou A., Drescher G., Ferro-Luzzi A., Helsing E. & Trichopoulos D Mediterranean diet pyramid: A cultural model for healthy eating. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 61, 1402S- 1406S [2] Keys A., Menotti A., Karvonen M.J., Aravanis C., Blackburn H., Buzina R., Djordjevic B.S., Dontas A.S., Fidanza F., Keys M.H., Kromhout D., Nedeljkovic S., Punsar S., Seccareccia F. & Toshima H The diet and 15-year death rate in the seven countries study, American Journal of Epidemiology, 124, [3] Trichopoulou A. & Lagiou P Healthy traditional Mediterranean diet: An expression of culture, history, and lifestyle. Nutrition Reviews, 55, [4] Dahlqvist M.L., Kouris-Blazos A. & Wattanapenpaiboon N The significance of eating patterns: An elderly Greek case study, Appetite, 32, [5] Muris P., Meesters C., Van de Blom W. & Mayer B Biological, psychological, and sociocultural correlates of body change strategies and eating problems in adolescent boys and girls, Eating Behaviours, 6, [6] Baranowski T., Cullen K.W. & Baranowski J Psychosocial correlates of dietary intake: advancing dietary intervention, Annual Review of Nutrition, 19, [7] Birch L.L. & Fisher J.O Development of eating behaviours among children and adolescents, Pediatrics, 101, [8] Official Journal of the Hellenic Republic Food safety authority, other issues of the Ministry of Development and other provisions, Α199 (Law 2741), National Printing Office, Athens. [9] Tur J.A., Romaguera D. & Pons A Food consumption patterns in a Mediterranean region: Does the Mediterranean diet still exist?, Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 48(3), [10] Trichopoulou A., Costacou T., Bamia C. & Trichopoulos D Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and survival in a Greek population, The New England Journal of Medicine, 348(26), [11] Kok F.J. & Kromhout D Atherosclerosis-epidemiological studies on the health effects of a Mediterranean diet, European Journal of Nutrition, 43; 2-5. [12] Special Scientific Health Council Dietary directions for adults in Greece, Archives of Hellenic Medicine, 16(5), [13] Schlickman J ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System Design, Artech House, Norwood. [14] Food Safety and Inspection Service Guidebook for the preparation of HACCP plans, US Department of Agriculture, Washington. [15] FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system and guidelines for its application, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Health Organization, Rome. [16] Kafatos A., Verhagen Y., Moschandreas J., Apostolaki I. & Van Westerop J.J Mediterranean diet of Crete: Foods and nutrient content, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 100, [17] Cruz J.A Dietary habits and nutritional status in adolescents over Europe-Southern Europe, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 54(1), S29-S35.