Nutritional quality and acceptability of a weekly vegetarian lunch in primary-school canteens in Ghent, Belgium
‘Thursday Veggie Day’
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15097451 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Willem De Keyzer (0000-0003-2208-3460, Ghent University, corresponding author), Sven Van Caneghem (HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts), Anne-Louise M Heath, Anne‐Louise M Heath (0000-0003-2856-0782, University of Otago), Barbara Vanaelst (0000-0002-1121-443X, Ghent University), Mia Verschraegen (HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts), Stefaan De Henauw (0000-0003-4141-5432, Ghent University), Inge Huybrechts (0000-0003-3838-855X, Centre international de recherche sur le cancer) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pages | 2326-2330 |
| Publication date | 2012-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Public Health Nutrition (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1368-9800 • E-ISSN: 1475-2727 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s1368980012000870 |
| PMID | 22440632 |
| OpenAlex | W2018327690 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 13 |
Objectives To determine the nutritional adequacy and acceptability to children of vegetarian lunches served on ‘Thursday Veggie Day’ – a public health initiative in Ghent (Belgium) primary schools. Design A comparison of food leftovers from main courses on regular days and Thursdays was made using a visual plate waste method. The nutritional value of the vegetarian meat analogue and meat components of main courses served on five ‘Thursday Veggie Days’ and five comparable conventional main courses was evaluated using three criteria (maximum 30 % of energy from fat, maximum of one-third of fat as saturated fat and minimum 1·5 g of dietary fibre per 420 kJ). Setting Two canteens from primary schools in Ghent, Belgium, participating in the ‘Thursday Veggie Day’ campaign. Subjects Primary-school children aged between 6 and 12 years. Results In total, 1242 and 472 main course plate waste observations of conventional and vegetarian menus, respectively, were evaluated. There was no significant difference in plate waste between vegetarian (16·7 %) and conventional (17·3 %) main courses. Overall, the five vegetarian components were found to be nutritionally adequate with a mean score of 2·2 out of 3, compared with 0·4 for the meat component. However, three of the vegetarian components provided >30 % of energy from fat and, in one, the amount of saturated fat exceeded one-third of total fat. Conclusions Vegetarian canteen meals offered as part of ‘Thursday Veggie Day’ appear to be nutritionally appropriate and as acceptable as conventional main courses to children in primary schools in Ghent
Animal science · Biology · Thursday · Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact · Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
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| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2024 (11) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |