An analysis of food portion sizes in Malta's catering establishments as compared to European counterparts

Abstract

Background: The perception of larger portion sizes in Maltese restaurants, potentially due to customer expectations, has been a longstanding issue. Saliba's 2017 thesis "Nutritional Considerations in Meal Planning at Local Restaurants" aimed to investigate this matter. This current thesis seeks to build upon Saliba's research by comparing data from Maltese, Italian, and French chefs to determine if this perception holds true, or if it is simply a matter of misperception. Objective: The primary objective was to compare portion sizes in Malta with those in Italy and France, using data from chefs. Factors contributing to obesity, such as calorie intake and psychological eating habits were also explored. The broader objective was to address Malta’s obesity rates thus, an innovative solution that utilizes technology (via QR codes) to personalize portion sizes in restaurants based on individual dietary requirements and goals was proposed. Method: A validated online questionnaire from Miriam Saliba's 2017 thesis "Nutritional Considerations in Meal Planning in Local Restaurants" was used with permission obtained via email. Results: Results from a sample of 50 chefs (25 local and 25 foreign) revealed that most chefs serve average-sized portions. However, local chefs in Malta tend to serve larger portions of raw pasta (110g and 170g options served 56% and 28% of the time, respectively) and triple-sized steak portions (300g) 60% of the time. Local chefs also tend to serve larger vegetable portions (36% serve 60g and 32% serve 80g), aligning with dietary guidelines. Local chefs have a greater influence over portion sizes (56% with some influence and 40% with a strong influence) compared to foreign chefs. Food presentation, pricing, and chefs' expectations are more significant factors in determining portion sizes than calorie content. Local chefs are more concerned about the calorie content of their dishes than their foreign counterparts. Both local and foreign chefs recognize that portion sizes affect customers' food consumption and weight management. Furthermore, both groups of chefs agree that customers would notice a 25% decrease in portion sizes. Conclusion: While this study did find some trends indicating that local chefs in Malta tend to serve larger portion sizes than their Italian and French counterparts, most of the results were not statistically significant due to the small sample size. Therefore, further research should be conducted in order to better understand this topic and to develop effective strategies , such as the QR system proposed, to combat Malta's high rates of obesity.