March 2018 Digital Issue

FOOD FILE
BY JANINE KENNEDY
It’s official: nose-to-tail cooking is passé.
You might be wondering where things
could possibly go from there — how
does one top such charcuterie and
“nasty-bits”-driven, meat-heavy, overthe-top
cuisine?
The current rhetoric seems to be,
you don’t. There’s been a steady decline
in Canadians’ meat consumption over
the past several years, opening the door
for vegetarian ethnic cuisines, vegan
restaurants, raw-food cafés and an increase
in healthier options on some of the country’s
most beloved quick-service and fast-casual
restaurant menus.
For example, Swiss Chalet’s “Healthier-
Alternatives” menu — featuring vegetablebased
sides with a skin-free quarter-chicken
meal ($12.79) and larger main-course salads,
such as Spinach Chicken Salad with fat-free
raspberry vinaigrette ($13.99) — allows diners
to mix and match sides and exclude unhealthy
components of existing menu options. In
addition, many menus across the restaurant
spectrum now provide caloric information for
all listed meals.
Why the shift in consumers’ eating habits?
The environment is an important factor as scientists
tell us the way we eat has to change if
we want to reverse the effects of global warm-
14 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY MARCH 2018 FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM