£10 million super kitchens open
Published 17 Jul 2012 09:30
MORE THAN £10 million has been spent creating two new superkitchens which will provide meals to hospital patients from Dumbarton and the Vale.
According to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the new units are two of the most modern, state-of-the-art catering facilities in the UK.
The two new kitchens cook 15 million patient meal portions every year and will jointly produce 43,000 meal portions per day (an average patient meal comprising of four portions - ie soup (1 portion) + main, veg & potato (3 portions)
As well as meals for patients at the Inverclyde Royal and Royal Alexandra Hospitals, the units wil deliver meals to every other hospital site in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area including the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, the Victoria campus and the Vale of Leven Hospital.
Michael McCall, catering manager for the two units, said: "It is all about producing fresh, nutritious, healthy food, moving away from the traditional negative perception of hospital grub.
"The food is prepared at the two sites and divided into individual portions which are then frozen in huge blast freezers the size of a garden shed which preserves freshness and taste. The meals are then delivered to each of the 36 individual hospital sites where the food is reheated in hi-tech mobile ovens.
"We work closely with local catering managers to ensure that patient's nutritional needs are being met and if patients indicate a particular food they like we do all we can to accommodate their request."
Based on a typical day's meal of popular dishes the following number of foods will be processed every year:
* 1,300,000 chicken portions (such as roast chicken breast)
* 155,906 Kg mince (such as mince pie)
* 88,695Kg cauliflower (such as cauliflower cheese dish)
* 600,000 sandwiches
* 2,810,500 portions each of vegetables and potatoes
This article appeared in Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Reporter 17 Jul 12
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