Designing food that fulfills nutritional, social, and emotional needs of children

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.”