Browsing by Author "Dikmen, D."
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- Development of a tool to assess the compliance of cafeteria menus with the Mediterranean DietPublication . Silva, S. S.; Rocha, A.; Ferreira, L.; Neto, Beatriz; Dikmen, D.; Filipec, S. Vidacek; Satalic, Z.; Viegas, CláudiaBackground: The Mediterranean diet (MD) has been considered one of the healthiest dietary patterns, and an excellent model of sustainability. Higher Education food services present an excellent scenario to encourage students healthy eating habits and modulate food choices. The purpose of this work was to develop an index to evaluate MD compliance with cafeteria menus. Methods: Three major axes were considered: MD key points, existing indexes on individual adherence to the MD, and existing indexes on menu assessment. The index includes four levels: (I) assesses the availability (IA), variety, and frequency (IB) of food; (II) evaluates the menu's nutritional quality; (III) assesses the menu's quality through information provided in the dishes' technical specifications and (IV) allows a more detailed evaluation through on-site visits and documentation consultation. The components receive a score between - 2 and 3, according to the given answers. The final score may vary between - 33.5 and 41.5 points depending on the degree of compliance with the MD key points. The index was applied to 60 menus from different contexts using complete assessments of each menu, performed independently by 3 researchers, using the same pre-prepared Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using Cohen's Kappa and internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha. Results: Assessment for level I) returned a Cohen's Kappa coefficient of 0.92 (p < 0.05) and a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.88. Dimension I is mostly influenced by subdimension IB (r = 0,97). The availability of non-starchy vegetables and fresh fruits has a stronger correlation with IA (availability of foods), and the higher availability of fish, pulses, and fruit has a strong positive correlation with IB (variety and frequency of foods). Conclusion: Researchers believe that the index is a useful tool to assess compliance of menus to the MD and help identify the key points that need to be addressed and improved in cafeterias.
- Higher education settings menus have low compliance with the Mediterranean Diet and high carbon and water footprint: a case study from Portugal, Croatia and TurkeyPublication . Neto, B.; Dikmen, D.; Ferreira, L.; Viegas, Cláudia; Filipec, S.; Drobac, L.; Šatalić, Z.; Rocha, AdaThis study focuses on evaluating the compliance of menus from Higher Education Institutions (HEI) with the Mediterranean Diet (MD) and calculates their respective carbon and water footprints. From September 2023 to June 2024, menus from 52 HEIs across Portugal, Croatia, and Turkey were analysed using a Mediterranean Diet Compliance Index (MeDCIn). Also, the footprints of 300 meals from 30 different menus were calculated. Overall results show a low compliance with the MD (mean score 2.7 ± 3.4). Turkish menus scored the highest values (5.2 ± 1.7) while Portuguese menus scored the lowest (1.10 ± 3.7) (MeDCIn varies between −20.5 and 27). The limited availability of dishes with eggs, wholegrains, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and seasonal products was a key factor contributing to the low compliance observed, as well as insufficient variety in Mediterranean dishes, vegetables, pulses, seafood, and lean meat. The average water footprint was 1785.41 ± 909.3 m3/ton, with Turkish menus having the highest consumption (2271.90 ± 1016.11 m3/ton) and Portuguese menus the lowest (1485.46 ± 767.28 m3/ton). The average carbon footprint was 1.9 kg CO2-eq, with Turkish menus again scoring the highest (2.91 ± 2.13 kg CO2-eq) and Portuguese menus the lowest (1.42 ± 1.26 kg CO2-eq). The findings reveal a complex relationship between MD compliance and environmental footprints, with moderate positive correlations observed. These results provide valuable insights to develop targeted interventions to improve menu options in HEI cafeterias and reduce their environmental impact.