AZ Groeninge is the first hospital to receive the Gault&Millau label for patient meals
A Benelux first: AZ Groeninge is the first hospital to receive the Gault&Millau label for patient meals
Every year, Gault&Millau inspectors check the quality, taste, presentation and other aspects of patient meals at AZ Groeninge.
Inspections and in-depth tasting sessions
The Gault&Millau gastronomic guide has awarded AZ Groeninge a quality label for patient meals following an inspection process that began in early 2022 with a number of tasting analyses and was recently completed. Over the year, the Gault&Millau inspectors tasted 16 meals and their healthy alternatives at eight different times. These are the hot meals served to patients at lunchtime.
Specialist inspectors were called in to conduct this taste audit. They used to test meals in hospitals and residential care homes as well as restaurants, so they can claim knowledge and experience.
“In addition to providing medical care, we believe that the quality of our meals is crucial to our patients’ recovery. This is why AZ Groeninge has been strongly committed to this approach for many years. We are particularly pleased to have our quality recognised by an institution such as Gault&Millau. It confirms our approach to further developing this aspect of our care”, explains Tino Gabriel, Director of Finance and Administration at AZ Groeninge.
Philip Dupont, Director of Facilities Services at AZ Groeninge, added: “In another project prior to Covid, I had the opportunity to observe how the Gault&Millau audit process constructively engaged the staff of several residential care centres. This has definitely led to a significant and constant improvement in quality. Together with the entire cooking team, we quickly became convinced that this could also bring added value to our patients.”
In practice
The hot meals served at lunchtime were systematically analysed and evaluated on the basis of a dozen criteria. As well as the obvious aspects such as the taste, aroma, texture and consistency of the components of the meal (main ingredient, vegetable garnish, starch and sauce), the balance and consistency of flavours were also examined. The team of Gault&Millau inspectors also looked in detail at other criteria, such as the temperature at which the meal was served, the freshness and seasonality of the ingredients used, the finish and presentation of the meal, and whether the description on the menu matched the reality on the plate.
In addition to hot meals, the supply and service of bread-based meals were also compared. These are served for breakfast and dinner from a bread buffet trolley. The quality and diversity of the components of the meals (varieties of bread, sweet and savoury fillings, salads, etc.) were inspected and assessed.
“Our patients were also involved in the whole process because their opinion is very important to us. They were interviewed several times between the different audits. This applies to all departments, from geriatrics to maternity,” explains Philip Dupont of AZ Groeninge.
Marc Declerck, CEO of Gault&Millau: “For some years now, Gault&Millau has been active in Belgium in consulting and auditing meals in the catering sector. This applies both to company restaurants and to hospital and other community restaurants. The recognition of the high quality of the meals served to patients at AZ Groeninge is the result of an increased commitment by the hospital sector to highlight, three times a day, this important aspect of healthcare provision.”
A team of passionate and motivated chefs
And Marc Declerck emphasises the importance of teamwork: “Without the collaboration of the enthusiastic kitchen team at AZ Groeninge and the motivation of the management, who provided the necessary resources, we would never have been able to bring this project to fruition“.
At the same time, the meals were assessed for their nutritional value. In addition to the kitchen team, AZ Groeninge has a team of around ten nutritionists who, in consultation with the doctors and nurses, are responsible for the nutritional composition of patients’ meals.
A taste of not enough
“In its quest for continuous quality control and improvement, AZ Groeninge has for several years been questioning its patients about the standard of the meals served. Through these inspections, the AZ Groeninge wants to be the first hospital in Belgium to take measures, based on this external audit, not only to maintain the quality of patient meals, but above all to improve it still further. It tastes like not enough”, concludes Philip Dupont.
The quality approval issued to AZ Groeninge is valid for a period of one year and is subject to periodic checks thereafter.
A summary of the audit file can be consulted on the Gault&Millau website: catering.gaultmillau.be
About AZ Groeninge :
The AZ Groeninge hospital in Courtrai has 1,000 beds. AZ Groeninge is ranked 6th in Newsweek’s “World’s Best Hopitals – Belgium 2023”. This makes it the first non-academic hospital to feature in the Top 20. Every day, its 3,200 employees, 250 doctors and 220 volunteers provide friendly safe care. 900 hot meals are served to patients every day. Breakfast and dinner are also served 1,800 times a day.
About Gault&Millau Belux:
For Marc Declerck, CEO of Gault&Millau, this project is perfectly in line with the diversification strategy that the company has been pursuing for over a decade. “For many years now, we have been working as food consultants with a wide range of clients, including Tomorrowland, Gare Maritime and RSC Anderlecht, to assess the quality of their offerings. We have developed ‘pairing experiences’ with Neuhaus and we are promoting a broader culinary sector with, for example, our POP-Casual Dining selection (young and trendy restaurants) and finally, through various audit activities in the restaurant sector. These are all initiatives dedicated to innovation and quality enjoyment. On 7 November, our team published the 20th edition of the Belux restaurant guide, which remains our calling card, with 30,000 copies sold.”