Hospital Caterers Associate Branch Meeting

Citation

(2007), "Hospital Caterers Associate Branch Meeting", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 37 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2007.01737eac.004

Hospital Caterers Associate Branch Meeting

Hospital Caterers Associate Branch Meeting

31 May 2007. Venue: St Andrews Hospital, Northampton

The Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) is the Association for those involved in food in the health care sector.

The organisation has an annual conference, a journal plus regular branch meetings. The branch meetings are an opportunity for both networking and to learn new things. Presentations are given by various experts in aspects of catering and food.

At the meeting in Northampton, there were presentations from dieticians who are members of the HCA as well as a representative from a company producing modified texture foods and allergen free foods.

The presentations included:

1. 1.

   Information on food allergies and the foods that can be culprits. Members of the HCA were told they should have a HACCP plan that covered allergies and a clear policy about it. Allergies were discussed as life threatening and that they should be taken very seriously. Information on how to check for food allergies was discussed and the importance of correctly identifying if a food contained an allergy.

2. 2.

   A presentation on Continuous Professional Development (CPD) included how this has been taken up by the dietetic profession and that caterers should consider it as part of CPD. An emphasis on reflection on learning was encouraged as part of the CPD process.

3. 3.

   Nutrition training suitable for caterers with the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health (RSH), Royal Institute of Public Health (RIPH) and the Chartered Institute of Public Health (CIEH) was outlined. The different level of courses and their suitability for catering staff were detailed.

4. 4.

   A presentation was also provided on manufactured allergy-free foods and also manufactured texture foods.