“Our clients are definitely interested in healthier eating and are requesting that more healthy options be incorporated into menus,” said Kathy Gonzalez, divisional vice president, Metz & Associates Healthcare Division. “Many of these healthy items are already there, but the customer might have a hard time identifying them.” HEALTHchecks, which utilizes existing recipes from the Metz & Associates, Ltd. recipe file, now highlights the healthy options for ease of identifying the best nutritional choices. Tom Boyd, Metz & Associates, Ltd. general manager at Pocono Medical Center has found the HEALTHchecks menu items featured daily in his cafeteria to be very popular with consumers. “I find that many of the hospital employees eating here each day, because they are in the healthcare field and are very aware of the importance of proper nutrition, are eager to make healthier dining choices,” Boyd said. “They come in looking specifically for our featured HEALTHchecks selections.”

For a menu item to receive a check mark, it must be limited in the use of saturated fat, contain less than 140 mg of sodium and be lower in calories. HEALTHchecks was first introduced at the beginning of the year to Metz & Associates’ Healthcare clients. “It was a very timely rollout,” Gonzalez said. “The new year is a time when many of us make resolutions to eat healthier and HEALTHchecks makes it easy to do just that.”

“HEALTHchecks has succeeded in helping our customers incorporate nutritious foods into their daily routine,” Boyd said. “Although it was specifically designed for use with our Healthcare clients, because of its success, it was introduced just in time for National Nutrition Month this March in other Metz & Associates divisions as well.”

Customers definitely don’t sacrifice taste when choosing a HEALTHchecks option, as Boyd and his team serve up an appetizing selection of items - from a Greek Garden Panini to a Chicken Tuscany Salad or a Hummus and Veggie Wrap.

HEALTHchecks goes beyond a check mark on a menu. Detailed nutritional information on each entrée item is displayed at various stations featuring a HEALTHchecks selection. “This makes it even easier for those counting calories or watching their sodium or fat intake,” said Georg Holz, Metz & Associates, Ltd. general manager at B. Braun Medical Supply. Holz makes sure the nutritional information is posted outside the entranceway as well as inside both company cafeterias, and also sent out on B. Braun’s intranet system, so office workers and the administrative staff can take the time to look at information before going into the dining area for lunch. “This has been a big plus to many of our office workers who are on Weight Watchers or just watching their caloric intake,” Holz said. “It is even easier for them to count points or calories with all of the nutritional information we provide. They can do it from their desks and not feel rushed into making hasty decisions in the cafeteria.”

“The daily HEALTHchecks options are always fresh, healthy and appetizing,” Holz added. “It’s like having a ‘turnkey diet’ available each day.” Holz hopes to introduce HEALTHchecks frequency cards at B. Braun to encourage more of his customers to eat healthier. The Metz team at that account keeps healthy eating interesting with unique choices, such as Focaccia Turkey Sandwiches, Thick and Zesty Chili and Albuquerque Chicken Sandwiches. “Variety is key in making it easy for consumers to eat healthy,” Holz said.

According to general manager Glenn Laufer, employees in the Metz operated dining room at Cannonsburg Hospital enjoy choosing from three HEALTHchecks selections each day. “We have had a great response to our healthy choices of a different hot entrée, sandwich and salad selection each day,” Laufer said. “Although these items are healthy, they are also hearty, such as the Apple Ginger Pork Chop appearing on today’s menu.”

James Dickson, divisional vice president, Higher Education and Corporate Dining Division, Metz & Associates, Ltd., said the extent of the HEALTHchecks offerings is dependent on the size of the dining operations. “In some locations where there are multiple food stations, our goal is to have HEALTHchecks items integrated into the menu at each station. This provides the ultimate in ease in eating healthier for our clients.”

Dickson said that Metz’ Dining Essence Program ties in very nicely with HEALTHchecks, as many of the items served are made from scratch using only the freshest ingredients, allowing the Metz team to have complete control over fat, sodium and calorie content. All of these factors contribute to a wide selection of healthy meal choices for consumers.

Metz & Associates, Ltd., a premier food service company for the Northeast United States, provides dining and environmental management services to clients such as hospitals, nursing homes, school districts, colleges and universities and corporate offices. For more information on Metz & Associates, Ltd., visit our website at www.metzltd.com or call 570-675-8100.