10 Feb 2019 03:25 AM

Importance of Institutional Catering

Educational institutes include schools, colleges, universities, professional education institutions, hostels, etc. These can be broadly categorized into two types: Academic Institutes and Professional Institutes.

Academic Institutions (Schools and Colleges):

• The main consumers here are students.The food is made and supplied by cafeterias at very nominal rates.
• The cafeteria could have its own fully equipped kitchen, and thus prepare food or it may even outsource food.The size of the kitchen and the kinds of equipment would depend on the number of meals the institution serves on a daily basis.
• The main focus is on health, hygiene, and nutrition.Since children need the right kind of nutrients, seasonal vegetables are also included in the meals.
• Some schools monitor closely when serving students in dining halls as the focus is also on developing good eating habits and etiquettes among children.
• Considerations should be given to the physical, sociological and sociological atmosphere including both functional and aesthetic value of the Dining Hall. The location should provide plenty of light air and the place free from disagreeable odours, noxious fumes, noise, etc.

Professional Institutes:

• The main consumers here are adults and hence it is important to offer some variety to them.
• Kitchens of these institutes are referred to as 'mess', which may be run by a committee called mess committee or it could also be run with professional help from an outside agency.
• Cyclic menus help to solve the issues of monotonous food. It includes seasonable fruits and vegetables, and nutritious food is the main criteria of the educational catering.
• The kitchen set-up can be basic to modern depending on the type and volume of meals that the institution cooks on a daily basis.

The main responsibility of institutional catering is the welfare and health of the younger generation. They cater for youth in schools, colleges and residential universities.These youth are generally in the age group of 5 – 25.It has the social responsibility of developing good food habits among the children of the nation and helping to build a strong and healthy population.Today, this food services sector is recognized as being a significant and influential part of the institutional catering industry. Institutional and hostel catering company also takes care of the dietary needs of students living in hostels and residential universities.Great care needs to be taken to feed these young ones as they live away from home. Students living away from home are the ones that miss home food the most.It is the responsibility of the hostel caterers to keep in mind the seclusion these students feel and serve them with best and tasty meals. When planning a menu for an institutional service, the following points must be borne in mind.

• There is quantity production of a few products for each meal so the meal should be simple, properly cooked and palatable.
• Generally, a cyclic menu is adopted, but there should be enough variety to maintain appeal in the food.
• The nutrition aspect must be given due importance.