Sustainable nutrition for seniors: New project starts in Rödental!

Sustainable nutrition for seniors: New project starts in Rödental!

A breath of fresh air is blowing through communal catering! Since May 2025, the “Coaching Community Catering” project from the Office for Food, Agriculture and Forestry (AELF) has gained great momentum. The aim is to improve catering in senior facilities through sustainable and balanced nutrition. Under the leadership of Marina Reinhardt, the AWO senior center in Rödental is supported as one of several facilities to provide residents with better nutrition. “There is something there,” says Christa Reinert-Heinz, head of the education and advice department at the AELF, and emphasizes the importance of adapted nutrition for seniors. Fränkischer Tag reports that the coaching is planned over a period of one year.

The supra-regional community catering department at the AELF in Bayreuth-Münchberg has a lot planned. The focus is on regional and organic food, which not only increases the well-being of the residents but also promotes social contacts. Training and individual consultations are part of the strategy to create more inviting dining spaces that increase dining pleasure and social interactions. Facility manager Carlo Rothammel and housekeeping manager Wibke Stier are already hard at work initiating these changes.

Sustainable catering in focus

But what is actually the basis for healthy communal catering? According to the Federal Center for Nutrition, the nutritional environment includes a variety of aspects that influence the decisions of those eating. Important factors are the availability, selection and presentation of food. Here, collective catering (GV) has the potential to offer not only healthy but also climate-friendly dishes that are accessible and attractive to everyone.

A practical concept is “nudging,” which aims to influence unconscious decisions. An example of this would be to highlight healthy and sustainable dishes through special placement or markings in the cafeteria. For this reason, the involvement of all stakeholders is crucial. When it comes to school meals, it is important that students perceive the cafeteria as their “own” so that they can benefit from the services offered. Senior citizen facilities must also build on this in order to promote acceptance.

The path to healthy eating

Around 16 million people in Germany already eat in communal catering facilities every day, including around 6 million children in daycare centers and schools. This shows the urgency that the federal government has set out to improve access to healthy and sustainable food. A plant-based, seasonal and regional diet is the main goal, supported by the DGE quality standards, which are to be established bindingly by 2030 BMEL.

Facilities that would like to increase their organic content in their catering can also apply for financial support. Digital tools such as the quality management tool “Our School Food”, which will be offered free of charge to schools from September 2024, help to implement balanced and sustainable offerings. These developments will put communal catering in Rödental and beyond on the right track – for good food, social contacts and lots of happy faces.