Saiagricola on the side of Good Health

Provenance has great value but means little unless backed up by real
conviction; that much we do know. Nor can you gaurantee quality and
reliability armed with just an economic forecast: there are social and
ethical considerations and not just on a “formal” level, a concept we are
investing in. Saiagricola has gone into partnership with the Asl (local
health trust) of Asti on a project which foresees a new model for hospital
catering.The idea is to match up local potential with the needs of the
organization, creating a direct source of supply which also favours seasonality,
organic produce, traceability and energy savings.
From January of this year,The Cardinal Massaia Hospital of the Asti Asl is
backing a new model of hospital catering
which focusses on the therapeutic role of
nutrition, looking at emotional, cultural and
convivial benefits and which re-states the
importance of meals that take provenance
and seasonality into account, contributing at
the same time to the local economy.
Links between food, nutrition and health are well enough
documented these days. A healthy diet plays a fundamental
role in promoting good health and reducing the risk of
many diseases; furthermore good nutrition effects the way
our bodies function and influences the ageing process and
indeed life expectancy itself.
With someone who is unwell, their nutritional state influences
the defensive capacity of their system when confronted by
infection during the course of the disease; moreover an altered
state of nutrition, indeed malnutrition, is associated with complications
arising from diseases, with prolonged hospital stays, with a
longer period of convalescence and even with an increased rate of
mortality.
Malnutrition in hospitals and the Asti project *
The problem of malnutrition in hospitals- a disease of disease itself- is both widespread and significant.
Around 40% of patients (both medical and surgical) are suffering from malnutrition by the time their recovery
is complete and in 64% of patients, their nutritional state worsens during their stay. During the recovery
period therefore nutritional conditions for most patients are not just not improving but deteriorating
and the most common form of malnutrition (energy giving protein deficency) in patients is caused by the
lack of calories and protein and present in acute and chronic diseases where loss of wieght is a primary symptom.
The inadequacies of hospital catering- where, apart from being a long way from the eating habits and indeed
tastes of the patient, waste is also a huge concern (indeed Europe-wide statistics put hospital food
wasteage as high as 40% in some instances)- play a key part in this issue.
In their repor t “Food and nutritional care in hospital. How to prevent under-nutrition” the European council
has recently confirmed to the governments of 44 member states, that hospital catering is is an integral
part of clinical therapy and that the use of normal groceries in the prevention of malnutrition is both economically
viable and devoid of any serious complications. It's almost like a return to the past to hear a
medical concession that nutrition is a fundamental par t of the recovery process.
With nutrition playing a redefined therapeutic role in today's world, it becomes necessary to think about
food supply as an instrument for cure and rehabilitation with a careful eye on its emotional, convivial
and cultural values; the importance must be stressed of healthy, pleasant meals which pay attention to
provenance and seasonality and which respect the clinical needs of patients and their personal tastes. Taking this premise as their point of departure, the Asl of Asti drew up on the 8th January 2008 the guidelines
of a project for a new model of hospital catering which takes into account local potential for supply in
relation to the needs to be met and which sets out a plan based on shortening the supply chain, seasonality,
organic produce, traceability and energy saving measures.
The quality of the daily fare in terms of its par ticular needs, provides
for a re-definition of outsourcing and engages the varied
aspects which concern the hospital menu - or, better, the hospital
diet - how meals are distributed and the involvement of staff
and the people being fed.
Behind the menu
The patients are made aware of the importance of food quality
as part of the recovery process in respect of the nature
of their complaints, and the 1700 meals served daily to
patients and staff are made from products sourced from the
province of Asti and the region of Piemonte. For the first
time in a hospital setting, the supply of the raw ingredients
is determined by their quality rather than their price.
The milk at breakfast time is fresh from the Asti plains and
the same supplier also provides yogurt plus ricotta and
stracchino cheeses. For the first course pasta Gragnano is used, while fresh pasta (classic piemontese
agnollotti, potato gnocchi and lean meat ravioli) are sourced from an ar tisanal supplier in Mondovi.
The rice used in risotti is superfine carnaroli, for soups and savoury vegetable dishes, balilla both sourced
from Lignana in the province of Vercelli.
These quality products are cooked in a simple way using the correct methods and flavoured with
fresh aromatic herbs in order to give more taste to the dishes. These impact in a positive way not
only, and above all else, on the quality of life of the patients but also on the local economy and the
environment. The choice of local product does in fact re-inforce links with the local farming community
and boost local economy. Moreover by shortening distances between where the products are
produced and where they are consumed, savings can be made on costs and pressure taken off the
transport infrastructure thereby cutting back on the use of energy and protecting the environment.
The new catering model actioned by the Cardinal Massaia is therefore a revolutionary one in that for
the first time in Italy, a process is being put in place which aims to improve and re-organize hospital
catering.
*taken from Slow Wine, Slow Food August 2008 edition, by Maria Luisa Amerio, Chief Nutritionist at the
Cardinal Massaia Hospital in Asti.