Millennium & Copthorne launches mouthwatering menu for diabetics
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Millennium & Copthorne launches mouthwatering menu for diabetics
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Category: Middle East - Gourmet restaurants
- Gourmet restaurants
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2011-07-25
Diabetes-friendly menu endorsed by Mafraq Hospital is launched across all Millennium & Copthorne’s MENA hotels in recognition of region-wide health issue
Millennium & Copthorne, one of the world’s largest hotel companies with more than 120 owned and managed hotels across 20 countries, has today rolled out across its hotels in Middle East a menu specially developed by the group in collaboration with Mafraq Hospital. The new hospital-approved menu was offered in bite-sized taster portions to invited guests and passers by at a launch event at Porto Bello restaurant at Grand Millennium Al Wahda. These tasters included a choice of starters, main courses and deserts.
In 2009, six out of the world’s 10 countries with the highest prevalence of diabetes were in the Middle East and North Africa*. Millennium & Copthorne has worked with diabetes experts from Mafraq Hospital to create a menu that is both tasty and nutritionally balanced, which helps those with diabetes control blood glucose levels, blood fats, and blood pressure. The dishes on the diabetes menu are first added to the room service menu and the buffet. The second phase will see diabetes-friendly options being developed for all of the group’s restaurants.
Having diabetes means needing to be more careful when eating out, but making menu choices shouldn’t be based on guesswork. Millennium & Copthorne has created a new set of menu icons which includes a blue circle, based on the international symbol for diabetes, which indicates that a dish is suitable for those with diabetes. This symbol will be placed next to all dietician-approved menu items on the room service menu, and on the buffet cards at all the hotels. Diners visiting the buffet will also be alerted to the hospital-recommended portion size.
Ali Lakhraim, President and Chief Executive Officer of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels and Resorts, welcomed invited guests to the launch event. He said:
“As Millennium & Copthorne continues to expand in the region, we aim to have a positive impact on the communities in which we operate. Diabetes is one of the biggest health issues affecting the population of the GCC and it affects people from all walks of life. Many people don’t realise how important a balanced diet can be, and for those that do, dining out can seem like a minefield. These new menu options offer guests an easy choice with tasty, nutritionally balanced and dietician approved meals bursting with flavour. We are proud to take this positive step as a responsible and responsive organisation.”
John Nickens, CEO, Mafraq Hospital, said:
“Around 80% of Type II diabetes could be prevented through increased exercise, healthy eating and small changes in lifestyle. As a hospital we have a duty to educate our community and set up preventative measures and this initiative is a great vehicle to spread the word in a positive way.”
Mafraq Hospital, which is owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC (SEHA), has a fully equipped Endocrine and Diabetes Centre dedicated to the prevention and treatment of juvenile and adult diabetes. The Centre is led by one of the most respected endocrinologist’s in the country, Dr Khaled Al Jaberi, and one of only two paediatric endocrinologists in the UAE, Dr Asma Deeb, who are ably supported by a team, including dieticians and nutritionists.
*These countries are Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Quoted statistics come from the International Diabetes Federation’ Diabetes Atlas. http://www.idf.org/diabetesatlas/middle-east-and-north-africa
About diabetes
Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death by disease globally; it is the leading cause of blindness and visual impairment in adults in developed countries. People with diabetes are 15 to 40 times more likely to require a lower limb amputation and are two to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people without diabetes.
For more information about diabetes, please visit the World Health Organisation’s website www.who.int/diabetes/en
About Mafraq Hospital
Mafraq Hospital was presented with the Diamond Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award in May 2011 in recognition of its quest for excellence and in support of the hospital’s commitment in putting customers’ first, providing quality care for patients and adherence to business best practice.
Mafraq Hospital is a tertiary hospital with 451 licensed beds and services include medicine, obstetrics, paediatrics, as well as surgical and critical care services that support the trauma program. Mafraq Hospital operates the largest burn unit in the country and is a Centre of Excellence for ENT and Thoracic surgery. The hospital also operates two primary healthcare clinics at Bani Yas and Al Nahda.
Mafraq Hospital is part of the SEHA HealthSystem and is owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC (SEHA) which is responsible for the curative activities of the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It is managed by Bumrungrad International (BIL), one of the most noted hospital management companies in Asia. BIL is part of the Bumrungrad Group which owns and operates the well regarded Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand.
www.mafraqhospital.ae
About Millennium & Copthorne
Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc is one of the world’s largest hotel companies with more than 120 owned and managed hotels across Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and the Middle East and North Africa. The group has a portfolio of brands which serve different market segments, representing quality and value in every class. In MENA, Millennium & Copthorne operates 12 hotels, and 52 new hotels over the next 5 years. With the motto “you are the centre of our world”, Millennium & Copthorne is committed to a customer-centric philosophy while ensuring returns for investors and owners.
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