Hospital meals FAQs

Yes - all our processes are audited annually against the BRC’s Global Standard for Food Safety, and we are proud to say that we consistently achieve the highest level of accreditation against this standard. We meet all the specific requirements for supplying food into healthcare settings and we were awarded the highest global standard for our state-of-the-art facility in Wiltshire.

Yes - the move to the new IDDSI guidelines saw all our dishes extensively revised to meet the new requirements and adhere to industry standards.

Our Free From range is specifically designed for people who suffer from food intolerance and allergies, they are free from all the 14 declared allergens. For your peace of mind, we do not allow nuts or their derivatives into any of our production facilities.

Yes - our in-house dietitian and registered nutritionist ensure that all our meals meet the nutritional standards required by the British Dietetic Association (BDA), the National Association of Care Catering and the Hospital Foods Standards Panel.

All our food is created and prepared by enthusiastic and talented chefs to ensure a delicious meal, but they do not work alone. The team includes an in-house dietitian, nutritionist, and food technologists to ensure our meals not only taste great, but also deliver optimal nutritional value across a range of dietary requirements.
 

Our state-of-the-art, Campden accredited laboratory and strict quality control procedures make apetito food one of the safest catering options available for hospitals. Every batch of food we cook is checked to make sure it is completely free of pathogens and bacteria before it is released for sale.

Yes - our trained and uniformed drivers deliver orders on a fleet of Aero Dynamic Euro VI refrigerated vehicles, the most environmentally friendly distribution vehicle of today.

No – our vehicles are 100% apetito owned and managed.

Due to the meals being frozen you won’t need a daily delivery, most hospital sites only require 1 delivery per week, this can depend on the size of the hospital site but during our on-site visit we can discuss this further.

Our unique labelled crate system is designed for sites of all sizes. The crates are open fronted with clear contents labels, allowing staff to easily pick and sort food for individual wards. For easy transfer to your cold store, crates can be stacked up to five high on our custom-made dollies. Furthermore, our returnable crates help cut labour costs and reduce waste packaging materials, in line with current environmental policies.

Give your dedicated account manager a call and we can discuss your available options.

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Yes, we absolutely insist on it! We know our food speaks for itself which is why we offer a free sample tasting session to provide you with an opportunity to try our food. 

We offer a wide range of meals for people with special dietary requirements, including energy-dense meal options for underweight/malnourished patients, healthy choice meals and vegan and vegetarian options.

Our award-winning, texture-modified meals provide appetising food and dignity to people with dysphagia (swallowing difficulties).

When you partner with apetito, you are immediately assigned a dedicated account management team who will provide continued support. They will also assist you with getting started, planning menus, placing orders, and meeting your customers’ nutritional needs, all within your budget.

Yes, we work with most of these companies to help integrate our solution with theirs.

There are currently over 400 hospitals in the UK enjoying our meals daily.

As proud supporters of the UK and Irish food and farming industry, we responsibly source ingredients that meet government buying standards. We source:

• 100% British peas
• Award-winning Bramley apples grown in Kent
• 100% sustainable fish
• Beef from UK and Irish suppliers - some just 15 miles from our Wiltshire kitchen
• Dairy products from UK and Irish suppliers (excluding UHT and regional products)

With apetito, you can significantly reduce the food waste associated with preparing and serving in a large-scale catering environment. Because our dishes are frozen, they have a significantly longer shelf life than fresh or pre-prepared chilled meals so you only take out the food needed for that meal time.

Your team will be fully trained on how to use our service, from cooking the food to plate presentation, recording temperatures and portion control. We also provide best practice support to help your team with menu planning.

We offer a variety of pack sizes, the main bulk of our solution is our foil trays which come in single, 2/3 and 6/8 portions. We also offer a plated meal system where the meals come individually packaged.

During our on-site visit, we can discuss whether any equipment will be required, such as freezers and ovens, however most customers do not require additional equipment.