PD166 - MENU PLAN ANALYSIS IN A SWISS GREATER AREA HOSPITAL: COMPARISON OF TWO MENU LINES WITH A FOCUS ON MACRONUTRIENTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

PD166

MENU PLAN ANALYSIS IN A SWISS GREATER AREA HOSPITAL: COMPARISON OF TWO MENU LINES WITH A FOCUS ON MACRONUTRIENTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

V. Haupt^1,*, C. Campani², F. Gut³, G. Trost³, R. Huwyler³, M. Klarmann², E. Medawar¹

¹Physicians Association for Nutrition Deutschland e.V. , Hösbach, Germany, ²Eaternity, Zürich, ³Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Lucerne, Switzerland

Rationale: Hospitals are increasingly challenged to provide food services that support both health and environmental sustainability. A Swiss hospital developed two menu lines with consideration of current food trends, aiming to place a stronger emphasis on sustainability in the Futura vs. Classic menu line.

Methods: Nutritional and environmental data integrated into a digital assessment system were used to analyse the two menu lines across all recipes in 2024 (nFutura = 716, nClassic = 714). The evaluation included energy content and macronutrients and an overall health indicator, called Vita Score based on evidence-based epidemiological data, as well as environmental aspects (e.g. CO₂ emissions, water use). Statistical tests were one-tailed t-tests, reporting p-values. Results are presented in tabular and graphical form.

Results: The Vita Score was significantly higher for Futura dishes, representing preventative benefits. On the macronutrient level, Futura dishes were significantly more energy-dense, mainly due to higher carbohydrate and fat content (including saturated fat), higher fibre content, and lower water content. At the same time, Futura dishes contained significantly less protein than Classic dishes.

The Futura menu line performed significantly better in terms of environmental aspects, particularly due to a substantial reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to the Classic menu line. Although water use was lower for Futura, the difference was not statistically significant. 

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Conclusion: The findings indicate that the Futura menu line offers higher energy density, but at the expense of a lower protein content. The Futura line is significantly lower in CO2 emissions, providing a more beneficial environmental footprint. Given the importance of adequate protein intake in the clinical

References:  https://eaternity.org/documentation/ratings/vita-score

Disclosure of Interest: None declared