Apetito
apetito Canada supplies the Canadian market with quality frozen food solutions for healthcare-focused institutions and organizations. apetito comes equipped with a wealth of knowledge, working towards bringing innovation and new initiatives to the marketplace, utilizing and drawing from over 50 years of experience from its international operations in Germany, the UK, France, and the Netherlands. apetito is focused and passionate about producing nutritious food that is delicious and suitable for many diets.
Based in Brampton, Ont., the company produces a wide variety of frozen soups, entrées, complete meals and texture modified products. The company’s food products are distributed to hospitals, long term care facilities and community Meals on Wheels services coast to coast across Canada.
Texture Modified
apetito produces consistent quality pureed and minced texture modified products. Maybe that’s why they are the preferred vendor for many healthcare facilities in Canada. apetito provides pureed and minced meats, vegetables and casseroles and their line of purees include unique formulations of breads, sandwiches and “Puree Sensations” (dessert and snack items). The pureed and minced products are packaged in a portioned and complete meal format; apetito purees also come in bulk packs, and these formats are built to suit the needs of customer operations of various sizes.
The Canadian Business Journal spoke with Brian McCafferty, President, about the company’s advantages and the importance of producing texture modified products.
“It is crucially important that pureed and minced products are prepared and served with the correct texture and viscosity. If they are not, there can be real risk of a choking hazard for a person with dysphagia. This food also tastes great, so although it is minced and pureed, the consumer can enjoy and identify exactly what they are eating; and as a result will want to eat more to get the nutrition they really need,” explains McCafferty.
By utilizing specialized equipment and employing a strict quality assurance program, apetito ensures that its texture modified products are safe. apetito is unique in producing pureed casseroles that taste like Sweet & Sour Pork or Chicken à la King, so the facilities serving this food do not have to re-create that taste using additional sauces or flavouring.
“Also, apetito’s protein content in puree and minced products come from 100 per cent meat. We don’t use protein fillers such as soy or chickpeas like some manufacturers. Clean products will result in a more enjoyable and beneficial recovery or maintaining ongoing nutrition,” says McCafferty.
Entrées & Soups
apetito has a large range of entrée and soup products packaged in a bulk format for easy storing and re-therming. Included are tasty beef, chicken, pork, fish and vegetarian dishes. Most recipes are created for the needs of healthcare focused institutions and provide the right nutrition, meeting the requirements desired by healthcare professionals.
Meals on Wheels
apetito also focuses on helping those who provide a valuable community service, manufacturing complete meals, soups and desserts to be delivered to seniors in their homes by the Meals on Wheels services. apetito provides a full service option to support Meals on Wheels to feed their clients.
The meals produced by apetito follow the principles outlined by Canada’s Food Guide, in terms of portion size and nutrition. The company’s strict nutritional standards ensure that consumers of apetito meals receive real sustenance and a pleasant meal experience.
In Ontario, apetito provides meals, soups and desserts to over 80 per cent of the Meals on Wheels services, and also supports customers by providing a pick and pack service, organizing and separating each individual client order, so the Meals on Wheels organization does not need to.
apetito’s products cater to many diets. Most meals and some desserts are diabetic friendly and offer items that are low in sugar, fat and calories. The company also offers meals suitable for renal, lactose free and gluten free diets.
R&D
apetito eagerly works towards creating new, tasty solutions that will better serve its customers and satisfy consumers. One of the ways apetito strives to make hospital food service easier is with the apetito MultiFlex plated meal solution. This menu of frozen, complete meals provides hospitals and patients with an innovative way off offering a range of specialty dishes that meet the nutrition and special diet requirements they require.
Unlike traditional methods of hospital food service, apetito MultiFlex gives patients a menu and a choice. Instead of delivering an unwanted meal to a patient, the apetito system allows hospital food service staff to interact and deliver a meal “on demand” shortly before the patients desired mealtime.
“This allows the patient to eat what they want, and when they want to eat it,” says McCafferty, and continues, “apetito MultiFlex is an ‘on demand’ meal solution that gives operators an easy to implement solution, offering patients a choice, thus enhancing their patient satisfaction.”
apetito even provides a custom china plate for enhanced meal presentation. The multiple methods of reheating the MultiFlex meals provide a great flexibility for healthcare staff. With increased flexibility of serving times and a tasty meal choices, waste is minimized, which ultimately reduces overall hospital operational costs.
“It’s simple – when a meal smells and looks delicious, a patient’s appetite improves. And when their food tastes better, patients eat more, which in turn helps speed their recovery. Their satisfaction levels are high and staff will enjoy serving patients with food they truly enjoy,” says McCafferty.
apetito has built its reputation on quality products and intends to continue to provide quality foods to the Canadian healthcare sector. The plan is to expand the company and grow its presence in healthcare and long term care. “We will continue to focus on healthcare and homecare because that’s what we do best,” concludes McCafferty.
