BIOFAIR II – Current State and Potentials‘ Analysis of Canteens in the City of Vienna towards Increasing the Portion of Organic Food

Project goal

The project goal is to depict the Current State in six selected canteens in the City of Vienna, accompanied by a potential analysis, so to support these canteens at their increased employing fresh organic products.

Summary

The initial situation for the BIOFAIR II project is defined by the thesis that under given framework conditions, replacement of convenience products by freshly processed organic food in canteens is cost-efficient. The BIOFAIR project has shown by means of three concrete examples (iceberg lettuce, apple sauce and curd cheese dumplings) that in the overall comparison of all assessments, clear advantage is gained by the organic products iceberg lettuce and curd cheese dumplings. Based on these results, the BIOFAIR II project investigates which convenience products are appropriate to replace in the practice by organic products processed on location. 

The project results allow for developing a base that can support also other canteens at their increasing the rate of organic food, and that in long-term thus positively contributes to healthcare.

Three canteens from the Vienna Hospital Association (KAV) and the Vienna Board of Homes for the Elderly (KWP) collaborated in this project. These are the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Hospital (KFJ), The Lainz Hospital (KHL) and the Floridsdorf Hospital (SZF), all within the KAV“, as well as the House Neubau (NEU), Tamariske (TAM) and Trazerberg (TRA) within the KWP. 

In a first step, a Current State analysis of the canteens is performed. Both framework conditions and employment of organic food in the canteens are registered. By means of this analysis as well as by interviews with the canteen managers, the saving potentials are identified that would allow for increased employment of organic food.

In a second step, an evaluation of the real possibilities for employing fresh organic food is performed. The selected products undergo an assessment by means of cost analysis. The data are gained through test cooking checking processing feasibility and further key data needed for the assessment, such as ingredients input, organic food share and employment of convenience products. Impact of further factors referring to the employed food, such as season and region of origin, is also investigated.

Cost analysis compares the conventionally produced convenience products of ingredients from conventional cultivation towards self-processed fresh products of ingredients from controlled organic cultivation. Cost analysis assesses aliquot operation, personnel and food costs relating to dishes of fresh organic food, and compares them to the purchase costs for convenience products.

Cost analysis proceeds up to the point where same processing grade is achieved in both production systems.