Published 12. December 2016.
The Healthy Meal Standard Certification (HMS) is the first healthy menu certificate primarily created for hospitality facilities (hotels and restaurants). It includes training staff and informing guests, as well as certifying meals for special dietary requirements, habits and wishes.
This autumn the Valamar Diamant hotel in Poreč was the first to introduce the Healthy Meal Standard certification that targets guest with special diet requirements, habits and wishes, with a special focus on sports people who often choose this hotel for their preparation. Besides staff training, The Healthy Meal Standard certification offers meals prepared according to the EU Directive no. 1169. Valamar has decided to introduce the certification of meals targeting gluten-intolerant people, vegans, vegetarians, sports people and people who want to lose weight. According to this standard, all the food offered must have clearly visible nutritive values, which includes energy value, fat, carbs, proteins and information on allergens.
“We are extremely pleased to be the first in Croatia to introduce and certify this dietary standard, which is a very significant feature in hospitality. Valamar Riviera delivers high service quality by continually following trends and developing a wide range of products targeting various groups of consumers. This is why we recognized that the Healthy Meal Standard certification could be a model of informing guests and guaranteeing food quality. It includes numerous benefits that will increase the added value of our products targeting guests with specific dietary needs, but also those aiming at improving the quality of life in general, “said Oliver Brajković, Valamar Riviera's Audit and Standardization Department Manager.
The Valamar Diamant hotel is the only hotel in Croatia that has already started preparing the certified healthy meals for various dietary requirements and guests' needs.
“There is an increasing number of people with special dietary requirements. Actually, in Europe their number exceeds those having no dietary restrictions. Because of this, we need to adapt to the market and start adopting the Healthy Meal Standard that will provide safety for each guest and quality in each facility. We are glad that Valamar Riviera recognized the importance of offering safe, high quality certified meals through our Healthy Meal Standard, thus becoming the first hotel offering five certified standards, “said Diana Gluhak, General Manager at Healthy Meal Standard.
Healthy Meal Standard is a project that targets ten groups of guests with special dietary requirements. In Europe only, roughly one hundred million people belong to each of these groups. In this context, such a unique healthy food product on the market is a benefit in relation to other competitors. This is an attractive feature for both new and returning guests; it contributes to the prolongation of the season by offering new products related to healthy food choices, fitness and physical activity.