Costa aims to make onboard cuisine healthier and reduce food waste over the next three years
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Costa Cruises has signed a three-year agreement with the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo (UNISG) in Italy to ensure that its onboard cuisine is healthy and sourced and prepared in a sustainable way.
Focused on maintaining Italian and Mediterranean culinary traditions, the joint project will focus on helping Costa to provide high quality food options, raise awareness about healthy eating among crew and guests, reduce food waste and improve sustainability. As part of the project, Costa and UNISG will reassess some onboard food preparation processes and select products and suppliers based on sustainability factors.
Initially, Costa will introduce pizzas with dough made from 100% natural yeast, San Marzano DOP tomatoes and type 00 flour – a mix of flours rich in fibre, omega 3, polyphenols, selenium and other vitamins. This will make them easier to digest and more nutritious.
To be offered in the onboard pizzerias under the new Pummid’Oro brand, the pizzas will be available from 5 December onboard Costa Diadema and will be rolled out across other ships in the coming weeks.
“Our company has always offered very high quality in this area, proposing Italy’s finest onboard its ships,” said Neil Palomba, president of Costa Cruises. “Now, we want to go one step forward and look toward the future. The agreement being presented today will allow us to enhance the importance of Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, giving our guests the pleasure of tasting food that is ‘good’ from all points of view: for the palate, for a healthy and balanced diet, for one’s wellbeing and for the environment.”
Costa’s pizza chefs will also be attend training at the Advanced Apprenticeship of Bread of UNISG department, which will include chemistry, microbiology and food technology lessons.
“These cooperative efforts will allow us, through our holistic approach, to make an impact on the food production and service models and can provide additional food for thought to replicate similar experiences and create new challenges in the sector,” said Silvio Barbero, UNISG’s vice president. “UNISG research, and our branch dedicated to innovation and company relations in particular, is specialising in supporting real projects that lead to change in both methods and consumption.”