Gastrotop
As a part of the project activity “Exchange of experiences”, the study “Market opportunities for “Free from” products” was produced and published.
The study is available here.
Interreg V-A Hungary-Croatia Co-operation Programme 2014-2020
A cross-border region where rivers connect, not divide
As part of the project activity “Exchange of experiences”, the Handbook “Gastrotourism, INTRODUCTION TO SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS” was produced and published.
Interreg V-A Hungary-Croatia Co-operation Programme 2014-2020
A cross-border region where rivers connect, not divide
As a part of the project activity “Developing of info communication platform”, a database (providers of agricultural products and tourist facilities for gastro tourism) was established for the area of Virovitica-Podravine County.
The database is available here.
URL: http://www.katastar-atrakcija.info/Default.aspx
The Closing Conference of the GASTROTOP project was held on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, in Kapošvar at the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Science (MATE), which was attended by representatives of all partner organizations on the project, students and representatives of the Joint Technical Secretariat, and representatives of the MATE University administration.
The project started on June 1, 2021, and its implementation lasted 16 months. The total value of the project was EUR 291,243, and the general goal of the project was to improve the availability of educational platforms in the new interdisciplinary domain – food (gastro) tourism, which is based on new trends in demand for different categories of food. The main objectives of the project were the development and implementation of informal educational programs for food (gastro) tourism, while the purpose of the project was to develop comprehensive educational support for food producers and food preparation service providers that will facilitate the demand for new special dietary needs of the market.
At the final conference, Silvija Jerčinović, the project manager, presented the activities related to the entire project, while all partners presented to the audience the activities that they carried out within the project.
In addition to achieving the set goals and outputs, the project contributed to the improvement of students’ competences and their position on the labour market, as well as to the local community in terms of directing them to take advantage of business opportunities and consequently increasing well-being (increase in investment, new jobs, stable sources of income, etc.). In the end, it turned out that such research and application projects are welcome, considering their multiple effects on all involved stakeholders and the local community.
Interreg V-A Hungary-Croatia Co-operation Programme 2014-2020
A cross-border region where rivers connect, not divide
Institutions participating in GASTROTOP:
1. MATE Campus in Kaposvár,
2. University of Economics in Križevci,
3. Polytechnic in Virovitica,
4. Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Somogy County,
5. Zala County Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The goal of GASTROTOP: the goal of the program, which is co-financed by the Interreg program of the European Union, is to examine the possibilities of meeting the needs for special nutrition (e.g. medically neutral food, vegan diet, food allergy and intolerance) in the regions of the organizations participating in the program, in the Croatian-Hungarian border area (counties of Koprivničko-Križevačka, Virovitica-Podravska, Somogy, Zala and South Transdanubia). The program enabled the partners to research the needs and opinion of the population as well as the attitude, behavior and plans for the future of tourist entities, restaurateurs and other involved organizations (eg associations for the protection of interests, professional organizations). The program also enabled the partners to organize – among others – professional conferences, professional trips and courses (eg for chefs), create brochures, develop databases and websites. In addition to all this, GASTROTOP has enabled higher education institutions to organize study trips for its participants and to listen to professional lectures and develop ideas for the development of their own service or company within the framework of a one-week creative camp.
Method of participation of MATE Kaposvár campus in GASTROTOP:
– joint research (among the population and the profession) with Križevci University of Economics (University of Economics in Križevci);
– creation of a database for South Transdanubia on the website in preparation of the Polytechnic in Virovitica about places that offer medically neutral food;
– a two-day study tour and a four-day creative camp for 10 Croatian and 10 Hungarian students.
About the two-day study tour (September 12-13, 2022):
Target group: 10 Hungarian and 10 Croatian students
Goal: visiting the South Transdanubia tourist and hospitality destinations that have responded exemplary to meeting the needs of consumers for special diets (medically neutral food, vegetarians, vegans) or those suffering from food intolerance or allergy.
The representatives of the companies involved in the study trip briefly presented what it means for them to satisfy their medically neutral dietary requirements. The goal of the trip was to provide students with inspiration they will need within the creative camp.
Locations that were visited during the study trip::
1. Krishna Valley, Somogyvámos;
2. Restaurant Kistücsök, Balatonszemes;
3. Hotel Azúr, Siófok;
4. Hotel Kardosfa, Zselickisfalud, Kardosfapuszta;
5. Hunting house Togazda Safari, Somogyapáti;
6. Takler Manor, Szekszárd.
About the program part of the creative camp (September 14-17, 2022):
In the first two days of the creative camp, the participants were introduced to special dietary needs, ie dietary sensitivities from various professions (hospitality, food industry, dietetics, tourism).
In the second part of the program, student groups of 4-5 members created ideas and development programs that would indicate the direction of progress primarily in the visited locations in order to meet the needs for medically neutral food.
At the end of the program, the student groups presented their work to the expert jury, the topic of which could be an idea related to the visited places, the development of local services or imaginary companies, as well as suggestions related to the development of their communication activities.
The lecturers of the creative camp were:
1. Kanizsai Tóth Csaba, managing director, FÁN group (own brands and HoReCa);
2. Dr. Némedi Erzsébet, Managing Director, Expedit Nodum (nutrition trends, food of the future)
3. Kecskeméti Attila, Managing Director, Aby’s (unique customized raw materials);
4. Bősze Ákos, manager of the METRO HoReCa sector (adapted to HoReCa needs);
5. Strasser-Kátai Bernadett, Managing Director, Real Nature (dairy products and substitutes);
6. Dr. Barta Anita, president, Foundation for Children and Families with Food Allergy and Intolerance;
7. Erdélyi Alíz, Secretary General, MDOSZ (National Association of Hungarian Dietitians);
8. Bódi Krisztina, managing director, Marketing art d.o.o. / menteshelyek.hu (records places where medically neutral food is offered)
Attila Pintér, Mónika Nagy, Viktória Szente, Eszter Szabó-Szentgróti, Orsolya Szigeti
Hungarian University of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, Kaposvár Campus
In the INTERREG GASTROTOP project, several studies were conducted in the field of food intolerance and allergy. The main goal of the research was the transfer of information to consumers, as the bearers of the problem, and gastronomy, as the solution to the challenge. In this report, we present the results of consumer demand research in southwestern Hungary, which can be used by the latter target group, that is, catering establishments (restaurants, pastry shops, hotels), assessing consumer needs.
In the survey questionnaire at the beginning in 2022, 219 people responded, several of whom also have multiple food sensitivities (the term will later be used together as a synonym for intolerance and allergy). The most frequently mentioned problem was lactose intolerance (41 people, 18.7%), gluten sensitivity (34 people, 15.5%) and milk protein sensitivity (27 people, 12.3%). Almost half of the respondents (54.8%) do not know about the allergen that affects them, but the fact that 68.5% of them have a close family member or friend who has to be very careful about what they eat or drink is certainly something to think about. This clearly draws attention to the need for well-prepared hosts. This is confirmed by the result according to which 54% of respondents who filled out the questionnaire visit restaurants (including meals in canteens) and pastry shops several times a month. Knowing the intervention steps and the possibility to avoid them is also important because 34% of them (or their close relatives, friends) already had an unpleasant problems such as allergies or some intolerance after visiting a restaurant.
The most frequently mentioned difficulties and problems were the following:
• Food served to exempted persons was not exempted
• Very limited selection
• Lack of food without dairy products
• They did not know which allergens their individual foods contained.
• The waiters did not know the ingredients.
• Cross-contamination.
In several cases, the food consumed caused stomach and intestinal problems, skin symptoms and difficulty breathing.
After that, we asked the respondents to state what kind of changes they would like to see in the hospitality industry. The results are shown in Figure 1.
The most important and perhaps the simplest measure to implement would be the educational work of the staff, to which the GASTROTOP project contributed through the conducted trainings, curriculum, study trips and project events. In addition, accurate indication of allergens on food and drink labels is expected, and fortunately, we can often find favorable examples of this.
The University in Virovitica continues to implement activities within the GASTROTOP project,
number: HUHR/1901/4.1.1/0058 (Comprehensive educational support of food-service providers
facilitating demand on emerging special dietary restrictions consumer market) which was approved
for financing during the Second Call for the submission of project proposals Interreg V-A Cooperation
Program Hungary-Croatia 2014-2020.
After the successfully conducted gastro workshops in Virovitica “Basics of food preparation without
additives – health-friendly dishes” as well as those held by partners from Hungary (Somogy County
Chamber of Commerce – SKIK and Zala County Chamber of Commerce – ZMKIK), on Tuesday (August
30th 2022 ), a joint gastro workshop was held, which brought together project team partners and
participants of previously held gastro workshops in Hungary and Croatia.
At the workshop entitled “Let’s bake and cook together without allergens”, the participants could
prepare allergen-free meals together in collaboration with a qualified chef. After the preparation of
the 4-course menu, there was a tasting of the meals and a discussion about the experiences. The
workshop took place in Szentkozmadombja.
The next stop of the GASTROTOP project was the 2-day study trip in Somogy county, where the project partners and the guests involved in “free” meals could participate in the programs organized by SKIK. The studytour was started with a visit to the Hansdönner Brewery, where the partcipants could gain an insight into gluten-free beer production. The following station was the Fino-food dairy company, where the dairy producton and the milk-free products were presented.
In the second half of the day the programmes and presentations were held in the Bánó Mária Kastélyszálló in Felsőmocsolád. In the afternoon two interesting lectures were held about the production of chemical-free cosmetics and its experiences. After the presentation the owner guided the group around the wonderful castle and told about the history of it, which can be traced back to the beginning of the 19. century. Finally, the last programme of the day was an interesting presentation of the organic wine production.
On the second day of the study trip, the Babérliget Kúria in Polány and Hertelendy Castle in Kutas were visited, where the group had a guided tour in both institutions and the experiences of ‘free’ dining were presented. In both places, the quiet environment, event organization and quality food has a great emphasis. Nowadays that kind of diet, which is free of certain ingredients is not only demanded by guests suffering from allergies or intolerances, but other people who has no food intolerance chose it more likely than the usual diet. Experience also shows that there is already a growing need for healthy food, which is free of additives and certain ingredients.
A total of 25 people took part in the two-day program, including Croatian and Hungarian participants.
After the food preparation training, the “free-from” dessert preparation training within the GASTROTOP project was completed in May.
The 30-hour program was attended by pastry chefs and other relevant people, a total of 14 people, who prepared different desserts in different “free from” versions. As part of the training, cakes, creams, pancakes, donuts, and other fantastic cakes were prepared.
The goal of the education was to find possibilities and ingredients in catering that can be used to provide a taste experience to those suffering from food intolerance or allergies.