INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TO HAVE A BETTER DIET THANKS TO A CALORY-EFFICIENT MENU

For long, IU Canteen of International University (IU) has always been selected as a place with great food and reasonable price by the students of VNU-HCMC. Alongside the quality and price, IU also cares for the nutritional value of the food and beverage at IU Canteen. With the calories of more than 1000 dishes and drinks calculated and displayed on the menu of every stall, IU hopes to raise the awareness of sustainable health of more than 10,000 students and nearly 500 lecturers and staff members, contributing to the fulfillment of the UN’s SDG No. 3: Good Health and Well-being.

Recently, with the approval of the Board of Presidents, the Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer met with IU Canteen’s Board of Managers and representatives from F&B stalls, and the scientists from the Department of Food Technology. Nowadays, the world is being more and more concerned about the subject of well-being. Our diet should not only serve our living, work, and study, but needs to be caried out smartly and reasonably as well. Through research, scientists have proved that a meal that is good for one’s health is the one which has a balance proportion for other nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Moreover, the awareness of calories intake through eating and calories loss through exercises is also a trend that is inevitable and growing in popularity around the world.

Dr. Tran Thi Ngoc Diep – Head of IU Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer shared: “In Vietnam, recent figures have shown that people from 18-64 take in 24% of their total calories intake from take-outs. To ensure a suitable diet, we need calories principles displayed to make better choices, to stay fit and healthy even when eating out. Therefore, showing the calories values on the menu is one approach to solve the overweight crisis, and loss of balance in daily courses.”

In recognition of the Food Service field’s positive roles in promoting community well-being. “As a major that studies and teaches “food”, IU Department of Food Technology pioneered in executing the project to calculate and put together the calories values for the F&B stalls’ menus at IU Canteen. The Department’s research team will use the calories calculator based on the software and data from the USDA to calculate the calories value of more than 1000 dishes and drinks at IU Canteen. As a result, the display will not only show the calories in each portion, but also the ingredients that are potentially allergic such as different kinds of nuts, peas, etc.”, Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Vu Hong Ha – Chair of Department of Food Technology shared in the meeting.

Dr. Tran Thi Ngoc Diep – Head of IU Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer talked about the worldwide trend for diets and snapshot of the SDG No. 3 – Good Health and Well-being.

Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Vu Hong Ha – Chair of Department of Food Technology answered questions from the stalls’ representatives.

Mr. Le Minh Sang – Head of IU Canteen’s Board of Managers shared his experiences related to the calculation of calories values at other F&B businesses in HCMC.

Ms. Tran Thi Yen Nhi M.Sc. – Researcher from the Department of Food Technology in charge of the project.

As the meeting was done in an active and collaborative atmosphere, IU Canteen’s BOM and the food stalls gained profound understandings of the project’s purposes and meanings. They also actively shared their opinions on the project so that it can be quickly conducted.

The meeting’s atmosphere was active thanks to the sharing from the stalls and the Q&A session from the Department of Food Technology.

The project hopes to elevate IU Canteen’s position as the dishes and drinks will not only have good taste, attractive plating, but also nutritional values. This aims at ensuring the community’s well-being, establishing positive habits where students, lecturers, and staff members care for the nutritional values of each meal more, and contributing to the fulfillment of the SDG No. 3 – Good Health and Well-being.