NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF MENUS PLANNED FOR UNIVERSITY RESTAURANTS IN BRAZILIAN FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES

• Main Authors: Joyce Larissa da Silva Benvindo, Ana Maria de Souza Pinto, Daniel Henrique Bandoni
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Josely Correa Koury 2017-05-01
• Series: Demetra
• Subjects: serviços de alimentação. universidades. promoção da saúde. guias alimentares. planejamento de cardápio.
• Online Access: https://www.e-publicacoes.uerj.br/index.php/demetra/article/view/25890

Objective: To evaluate the nutritional quality of menus planned for university restaurants of Federal Universities in Brazil. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional quantitative study, which a sample consisting of 22 university restaurant menus, divided into their respective regions, planned for the lunch meals during March 2015.  For the analysis, we used the method Qualitative Evaluation of Menu Components – QEMC, the Food Guide for the Brazilian Population, and the publication of the Ministry of Health on Brazilian Regional Food. Results and Discussion: Through the QEMC, leaf vegetables, fatty meat and preserves were adequate in the five regions. On the other hand, color monotony and foods rich in sulfur had inadequate percentages, prompting an alert, since colorful menus become more visually appealing and consumption of sulfur-rich meals may cause abdominal discomfort. The offer of a vegetarian protein dish in the South and Southeast regions occurred in 50% and 88% of the analyzed menus, respectively. Regarding the presence of brown rice, 83% of the menus in the South region and 78% of the menus in the Southeast region planned the offer. It is worth mentioning that the planning of the two items was less frequent or not offered by the Central-West, North and Northeast regions. Most restaurants offers ultra-processed sweets, such as puddings, jellies and candy bars. Concerning the presence of regional fruits, the regions varied a little in their offer. Conclusion: Each region should adapt the planned menus for university restaurants in different aspects, being essential to consider nutritional and sensory issues to elaborate them. DOI: 10.12957/demetra.2017.25890