Collective catering doubles issue of users in Navarra with more than 30,000 consumers.
130 dietitians and nutritionists attend the VI conference of update in Nutrition of the University of Navarra.
The collective catering sector has doubled the issue of users in the region by going from 14,700 consumers in 1994 to more than 30,000 in 2011. This was highlighted by María Rosario Ezcurra, president of high school Official Dietitians and Nutritionists of Navarra (CODINNA), on the occasion of the VI conference of update in Nutrition held at the University of Navarra, which brought together 130 professionals.
The expert indicated that the sector is growing at an annual rate of 5%, focusing on three groups: hospitalized people, the elderly and children. "These three groups, which are particularly sensitive, have very specific nutritional needs. In the case of schoolchildren, nutrition is core topic for their development; the elderly need to be well nourished while enjoying food; and proper nutrition can help reduce hospitalization time."
Rosario Ezcurra also referred to elderly people living at home as a growing audience for collective catering services: "In this case, social canteens and home care services try to ensure that at least one of the central meals is nutritionally well balanced".
Regarding the fight against overweight and obesity, the specialist pointed to the work of dietitians and nutritionists in collective catering: "These professionals design the central kitchen, the specialized diets, manage the management with suppliers, the training of staff, etc. Likewise, companies in the sector develop educational programs on good eating habits, among other actions".
Genetic testing
During the conference a roundtable on "Personalized Nutrition" was held with the participation of Marta Cuervo, professor at Degree of Human Nutrition and Dietetics of the University of Navarra. As she explained, there are already more than 30 laboratories in Spain that carry out genetic analyses to identify mutations related to resistance to weight loss, lack of appetite control or predisposition to high cholesterol. Some analyze 14 polymorphisms (mutations) for 250 euros. "This information will be very useful in the near future, so that the dietitian nutritionist can integrate it into his protocol of enquiry and prepare a personalized per diem expenses that can avoid or mitigate these genetic tendencies," he clarifies.
"In any case," the expert concluded, "genetic profiles to measure predisposition to overweight or obesity are a great promise that requires a more extensive research with larger population groups, to know what happens with the differences between ethnic groups -which do not respond in the same way to the same per diem expenses- and, above all, that they are controlled by health professionals".