Coverage in : Healthpost

These days Arjyo Banerjee is experimenting with a lot of new recipes to develop an exciting breakfast, lunch and dinner menu for kids. And he wants to ensure that the meals on the menu are not just sumptuous but are also packed with all the macro and micronutrients children need for their proper growth.

 “I try to include all important cereals, vegetables, fruits, and spices in my recipes, distributing the total calories in meals in appropriate proportions,” says Banerjee, vice president,  Culinary, Food Innovation and Central Kitchens at Compass Group India, a leading food enterprise that serves corporates cafes and hospitals. The company recently  launched its food services for schools and colleges, and is seeking to design bespoke healthy food solutions for students of all age groups. The company calls it ‘Chartwells food solution.’

“Our hot chocolate, for example, is enriched with the goodness of oats. The rainbow idlis have carrots, spinach, beetroot, and peas. The chutney has bottle gourd (lauki) peels. We ensure that their meals are healthy and suit their taste. Banerjee also experiments with forms to make the meals look inviting.

He uses pumpkin pulp in the muffins, a variety of nuts in paneer gravy, berries in pulao, and put fenugreek leaves, which most children don’t like for their bitter taste, in the flour of quesadillas.

For example, he uses pumpkin pulp in the muffins, a variety of nuts in paneer gravy, berries in pulao, and put fenugreek leaves, which most children don’t like for their bitter taste, in the flour of quesadillas. “ It is amazing how he comes up with new dishes in exciting forms and tastes,” says Pariksha Rao, a partner nutritionist who works closely with Banerjee to ensure that all meals for children are balanced and have required micro as well as macronutrients.

The ‘reimagined food solution’, as the company calls it, has been designed for students keeping in mind three key aspects—first, nutritious food that takes into account the growing children’s emotional, functional, and social needs at school. Second, it creates ‘happy food experiences’ by ‘designing food’ that not only tastes great, but looks appealing too. And third, the company’s ever-innovative menu aims to build a lasting habit of healthy eating.

Post- Covid-19 pandemic, there is a heightened focus on emotional health and overall well-being. Parents too expect schools to take a holistic learning approach.

Post- Covid-19 pandemic, there is a heightened focus on emotional health and overall well-being. Parents too expect schools to take a holistic learning approach.

The Chartwells food solution, says Paramita Bagchi, CFO and MD, Compass India, will help Indian K-12 schools in that journey by creating a new, strong relationship between children and healthy food.

“Currently, most food innovations focus on adult food, designed with their needs in mind. We are trying to change that,” says Bagchi. “ Our food solution is based on the concept of ‘invisible health’. We believe that the right kind of school food can enhance learning capacity and have positive impact on the child’s health, well-being, and future.”

Source: http://www.healthpost.in/features/Designing-food-that-fulfills-nutritional–social–and-emotional-needs-of-children%C2%A0%C2%A0-982

Coverage in : Curriculum Magazine

Chartwells, an education specialist of the contract food and support services multinational Compass Group, is gearing up to foray into school food services especially in the private schools segment in India in a big way with a nutrition-first food solution. The Indian subsidiary is already present in about 12 high-end schools across the country. Post-Covid, the provider is building on the appeal and awareness for healthy food and eating habits among schools and parents.

Junk and processed food has led to mindless eating and poor food choices among most children in India, which unfortunately is home to second highest number of obese children as well as about 1/6^th children population being deficient in micronutrients.  Upon this Indians are generally known to have Vitamin B12 and Omega3 Fatty Acids deficiencies.  Chartwells India through its school food solution is hopeful of tackling these challenges with its launch. Chartwells Proprietary Nutritional Guidance Platform  has a comprehensive taxonomy of macro, micro nutrition data and allergens for all ingredients by dish and menu. This scientifically designed food solution has been developed with an in-depth understanding of students’ unique nutritional, developmental, emotional and social needs.

Paying attention to food choices of children rather than adult food, conveying proper food language through presentation and cafeteria setting for look-feel experience are some of the details that have been paid attention in this offering. As 50% of the food is consumed by a child in a school on a normal school day, the nutritionists at the company have developed calorie –specific recipes. The company has an in-house R & D team along with dieticians to test and develop newer recipes on a regular basis.

According to Paramita Bagchi, CFO and MD Designate at Compass India, Compass India’s newly launched Chartwells food solution will help Indian K-12 schools in that journey with a comprehensive approach that will create a new, strong relationship between children and heathy food. “A child can be a change agent and become a healthy eater for life if his or her food habit develop appropriately at the school age,” she adds.

Sneaking in goodness of food with a layer of taste, variety, color, comfort are strategies applied to make healthy food with appeal by the chefs. “Making food visually attractive to children, proper ambience where children feel in their own fun world, food sessions, stories around foods, food clubs, socialization over food, internationalization of food through introduction of foreign cuisines, child friendly cutlery are some of the aspects that we are integrating for this solution,” adds Arjyo Banerjee, VP-Culinary & CPU.

Pariksha Rao, Compass India’s partner nutritionist comments, “Children are social eaters. It is extremely important to leverage the formula of stealth health within the K-12 segment. This project is a result of continuous culinary innovation at the Compass Innovation Kitchen, where food is prepared using healthier ingredients, techniques, and processes that work in the background without compromising on taste and flavour. The Chartwells solution aims to positively impact children’s lives, educate them to understand food and the importance of nutrition, while helping them adopt healthy eating habits even as they grow out of school.”

As part of its experiential learning program, Chartwells India expands the food exposure of children through new immersive experiences like Teaching Kitchen, Farm to School program, and Food Club. These offer a platform for students to explore food & nutrition knowledge and connect to the concept of ‘eating right’ while encouraging palate development and appreciation for healthy food. It offers the goodness of traditional Indian digestive sciences inculcated as part of the menu design. It also aims to instil a passion for cooking among children of all genders from an early age. The pricing is as per the services and add –on features. As per the statement of the company at the core, the purpose of this solution is to transform the school café experience for children in India and help create lifelong healthy eaters. “It is not just about changing the school food (menu) but to positively influence the very relationship children have with food and how children can become change agents for a healthier and sustainable planet.”

Source: https://curriculum-magazine.com/chartwells-by-compass-india-introduces-food-solution-for-schools-in-india/

Coverage in: Adgully

Compass India Food Services Private Limited (“Compass India”), a leading provider of food solutions globally, is redefining school cafeterias with a revolutionary, nutrition-first solution for the K-12 segment. The reimagined food solution, designed for students, has three key aspects –

1. Focus on food nutrition with an in-depth understanding of their emotional, functional and social needs at school.
2. Creating ‘happy’ food experiences by looking at and designing food through a child’s lens.
3. Building a lasting habit of healthy eating through experiential learning and engagement.

According to an annual survey conducted by Univariety¹, the education sector in India has undergone a massive change, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. We are starting to see a heightened focus on emotional and mental health and an emphasis on overall wellbeing. Parent expectations for their child’s development and learning has soared and millennial parents today expect schools to take a holistic learning approach. Compass India’s newly launched Chartwells food solution will help Indian K-12 schools in that journey with a comprehensive approach that will create a new, strong relationship between children and heathy food.

Commenting on the initiative, Paramita Bagchi, CFO and MD Designate at Compass India says, “As a leader in the food space, Compass India has in-depth understanding of how food plays a pivotal role in addressing a child’s emotional, social and functional needs. Unfortunately, the connection between food and children today is broken. The current reality is that most food innovations focus on adult food, designed with their needs in mind. Chartwells India’s unique food solution has been developed from a child’s lens and is focussed on the concept of ‘invisible health’. We believe that the right kind of school food can enhance learning capacity and directly impact the child’s health, well-being, and future. As a parent, I am delighted to be a part of this initiative”.

Studies across the world have established that nutrition is an integral part of a child’s mental and physical growth and development. Today, India has the second highest number² of obese children in the world, indicating that home is no longer a site for food education. With the concept of ‘outsourced parenting’ and easy access to junk and processed food, the problem today is of ‘mis-nourishment’. Compass India’s food solution is powered by Chartwells Proprietary Nutritional Guidance Platform that has a comprehensive taxonomy of macro, micro nutrition data and allergens for all ingredients by dish and menu. This scientifically designed food solution has been developed with an in-depth understanding of students’ unique nutritional, developmental, emotional and social needs.

As part of its experiential learning program, Chartwells India expands the food exposure of children through new immersive experiences like Teaching Kitchen, Farm to School program, and Food Club. These offer a platform for students to explore food & nutrition knowledge and connect to the concept of ‘eating right’ while encouraging palate development and appreciation for healthy food. It offers the goodness of traditional Indian digestive sciences inculcated as part of the menu design. It also aims to instil a passion for cooking among children of all genders from an early age.

Pariksha Rao, Compass India’s partner nutritionist commented, “Children are social eaters. It is extremely important to leverage the formula of stealth health within the K-12 segment. This project is a result of continuous culinary innovation at the Compass Innovation Kitchen, where food is prepared using healthier ingredients, techniques, and processes that work in the background without compromising on taste and flavour. The Chartwells solution aims to positively impact children’s lives, educate them to understand food and the importance of nutrition, while helping them adopt healthy eating habits even as they grow out of school.”

At the core, the purpose of this solution developed by Compass India is to transform the school café experience for children in India and help create lifelong healthy eaters. It is not just about changing the school food (menu) but to positively influence the very relationship children have with food and how children can become change agents for a healthier and sustainable planet.

Source: www.adgully.com/compass-india-s-new-food-solution-reimagines-school-cafeteria-129283.html

Coverage in : investmentguruindia.com

Compass India Food Services Private Limited (“Compass India”), a leading provider of food solutions globally, is redefining school cafeterias with a revolutionary, nutrition-first solution for the K-12 segment. The reimagined food solution, designed for students, has three key aspects –

1. Focus on food nutrition with an in-depth understanding of their emotional, functional and social needs at school.
2. Creating ‘happy’ food experiences by looking at and designing food through a child’s lens.
3. Building a lasting habit of healthy eating through experiential learning and engagement.

According to an annual survey conducted by Univariety¹, the education sector in India has undergone a massive change, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. We are starting to see a heightened focus on emotional and mental health and an emphasis on overall wellbeing. Parent expectations for their child’s development and learning has soared and millennial parents today expect schools to take a holistic learning approach. Compass India’s newly launched Chartwells food solution will help Indian K-12 schools in that journey with a comprehensive approach that will create a new, strong relationship between children and heathy food.

Commenting on the initiative, Paramita Bagchi, CFO and MD Designate at Compass India says, “As a leader in the food space, Compass India has in-depth understanding of how food plays a pivotal role in addressing a child’s emotional, social and functional needs. Unfortunately, the connection between food and children today is broken. The current reality is that most food innovations focus on adult food, designed with their needs in mind. Chartwells India’s unique food solution has been developed from a child’s lens and is focussed on the concept of ‘invisible health’. We believe that the right kind of school food can enhance learning capacity and directly impact the child’s health, well-being, and future. As a parent, I am delighted to be a part of this initiative”.

Studies across the world have established that nutrition is an integral part of a child’s mental and physical growth and development. Today, India has the second highest number² of obese children in the world, indicating that home is no longer a site for food education. With the concept of ‘outsourced parenting’ and easy access to junk and processed food, the problem today is of ‘mis-nourishment’. Compass India’s food solution is powered by Chartwells Proprietary Nutritional Guidance Platform that has a comprehensive taxonomy of macro, micro nutrition data and allergens for all ingredients by dish and menu. This scientifically designed food solution has been developed with an in-depth understanding of students’ unique nutritional, developmental, emotional and social needs.

As part of its experiential learning program, Chartwells India expands the food exposure of children through new immersive experiences like Teaching Kitchen, Farm to School program, and Food Club. These offer a platform for students to explore food & nutrition knowledge and connect to the concept of ‘eating right’ while encouraging palate development and appreciation for healthy food. It offers the goodness of traditional Indian digestive sciences inculcated as part of the menu design. It also aims to instil a passion for cooking among children of all genders from an early age.

Pariksha Rao, Compass India’s partner nutritionist commented, “Children are social eaters. It is extremely important to leverage the formula of stealth health within the K-12 segment. This project is a result of continuous culinary innovation at the Compass Innovation Kitchen, where food is prepared using healthier ingredients, techniques, and processes that work in the background without compromising on taste and flavour. The Chartwells solution aims to positively impact children’s lives, educate them to understand food and the importance of nutrition, while helping them adopt healthy eating habits even as they grow out of school.”

At the core, the purpose of this solution developed by Compass India is to transform the school café experience for children in India and help create lifelong healthy eaters. It is not just about changing the school food (menu) but to positively influence the very relationship children have with food and how children can become change agents for a healthier and sustainable planet.

Source: https://investmentguruindia.com/IndustryNews/Compass-Indias-new-food-solution-reimagines-school-cafeteria-to-be-the-happiest-and-healthiest-place-for-children