Characterization of culinary preparations served in south Brazilian buffet restaurants

Introduction: The global trend of eating out seems to be associated with the consumption of culinary preparations of lower nutritional quality. However, commercial self-service buffet restaurants, where pricing is based on weight, seem to promote healthier eating. Objective: To characterize and analyze food preparations served in commercial self-service buffet restaurants in a southern Brazilian capital. Methods: An observational survey was conducted in 11 self-service buffet restaurants selected by convenience. The results are presented as absolute and relative frequencies. Culinary preparations were classified according to their base ingredients and method of preparation. Data were analyzed by category using measures of central tendency. Results: Buffet options included on average 13.9 varieties of salads, rice and beans were served daily in all restaurants, a higher offering of sweets (average of 2.8 preparations) compared to fruits as desserts, and frequent availability of fatty meats or those prepared with fatty sauces (average of 3.4 preparations) as well as one preparation based on fish and seafood. Salads were generally positioned at the beginning of the buffets (n = 10). Conclusion: The restaurants offer healthy culinary preparations daily, such as salads, rice, and beans. Despite this, a greater offering of sweets as desserts instead of fruits was observed, along with limited fish options compared to other animal protein sources

Dried fish · Fish · Food choice · Food consumption · Food products · Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Food, Nutrition, and Cultural Practices · Nutritional Studies and Diet