Canteen kitchens in the organic trend

Organic products are used in every third canteen kitchen - kitchen and management make the difference

"Organic" is becoming more and more a matter of course in out-of-home catering: a third of canteen kitchens already use organically produced products, according to a representative survey by the University of Hohenheim on behalf of the federal program for organic farming. The canteen kitchens for community catering could become trendsetters and make organic products palatable to the masses - provided the kitchen and management support the innovative catering concept.

The researchers at the Hohenheim Institute for Social Sciences in the Agricultural Sector asked those responsible in 618 communal catering facilities and 676 kitchens in the catering trade whether and to what extent they use ingredients from organic farming. 31 percent of those surveyed in mass catering stated that they use food that is certified according to the EC Organic Regulation. In doing so, they are following the trend of private consumers, who are increasingly turning to organic products, also thanks to the state organic seal. Potatoes, eggs, vegetables and fruit from organic farming are in demand in mass catering, and are bought primarily for reasons of health, quality and environmental protection.

An above-average number of organic foods are already being processed wherever the kitchen concept is characterized by motives such as health, future security and ecology, for example in prevention and rehabilitation facilities, day-care centers and children's homes. "Only if organic receives support 'from above' will organic food also prevail across the board in the other communal catering facilities," says Jana Rückert-John, a graduate social scientist, with certainty. The study has shown that the business and kitchen managers are primarily asked to give organic products a chance in community catering. The acceptance must also be right among the kitchen staff, suppliers and guests: "The many players in out-of-home catering have to pull together, otherwise they will miss the trend," says Rückert-John. The study shows that the conventional wholesale trade has already adapted well to the organic demand: around 30 percent of dried goods, dairy products and meat and sausage products from organic farming are already purchased from conventional wholesalers.

A good way to explore the "organic potential" in canteen kitchens for communal catering are special campaigns with individual organic ingredients or complete organic dishes. 38 percent of the facilities surveyed use individual organic components as part of campaign weeks, and more than half already use ingredients from organic farming on a regular basis. "These companies pride themselves on being able to offer their guests high-quality organic dishes. There is enormous potential for innovation here for community catering, because the trend towards organic also offers high taste quality and the opportunity to design the range of food in a diverse and varied way." , says Christoph Reingen, Head of Business Services at WestLB AG in Düsseldorf.

Source: Bonn [BLE]