Consider Community and Regional Food Preferences

Introduction

"Preferred foods" describe safe and nutritious foods that meet diverse tastes and needs of customers based on their individual or community preferences. For example, people who identify with Muslim or Jewish religious traditions may want foods that are halal or kosher, respectively. Customer food choices are influenced by various factors, including price, convenience, taste, production practices, sourcing and preparation methods, cultural traditions, and dietary needs related to health conditions or allergies.

Offering affordable, preferred food options that are in line with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans allows customers to choose foods that meet their needs. Serving preferred food options also expands opportunities for customers to select familiar and healthier foods they like. This approach encourages customers to learn about and try different cuisines.

Getting support for preferred foods

Work with your team

To incorporate preferred foods into your food service practices, start by working with your food service guidelines team. This includes food service vendors and staff, organizational leadership, and worksite wellness staff. Make sure your food service guidelines team represents the diversity of your customer market1. Food service vendors and staff may ensure buy-in and feasibility for including diverse food offerings.

Work with your team to:

• Collect ideas and feedback on preferred foods.
• Develop a plan for incorporating preferred foods into food service guidelines and menu changes.
• Collaborate with food vendors to improve offerings of preferred nutritious options.

External partners, such as professional organizations, can provide resources. They can also help source community and regional foods.

Identify your customer's preferences

Gather information from your customer base

Conduct a comprehensive baseline assessment to identify your customers' backgrounds and food preferences. These assessments can reveal customers' perceptions of current food offerings, as well as identify facilitators and barriers to offering more preferred options. Before conducting an assessment, define the goal of your assessment with your food service guidelines team.

Consider asking customers questions about:

• Types of foods embraced by their region or community.
• Habits and traditions related to food, such as religious observances and holidays.
• Preference for eating foods of they are familiar with in food service venues.
• Factors that encourage food purchases, such as visual appeal, prominent display, or low-cost options.
• Barriers to purchasing preferred foods in your area.
• How often customers eat in the setting.

You can also ask customers general questions about their diet, such as:

• Use of food to prevent or manage chronic health conditions.
• Preferences for specialized items to eat food with, such as chopsticks or injera.
• Favorite items on the current menu.

Assess the current menu

Examine your setting's menu cycles to determine whether the foods offered represent customers' preferences. This will allow you to see opportunities for improvement.

Incorporating preferred foods into food service

Identify ingredients

After you have identified cuisines of interest to your customers, work with your vendors to identify common ingredients. For example, rice, beans, and corn are popular staple foods across many communities and regions. Offering dishes that use these ingredients may be a cost-effective approach, especially if the vendor has limited access to specialty foods.

Consider fusion of flavors

Fusion cuisine combines the flavors of two or more groups to develop interesting, yet familiar dishes. The vendor may identify existing recipes to make substitutions without incurring additional costs. Spices, herbs, and oils can infuse dishes with different flavors. Although fusion foods offer familiarity, they are still different.

Use food stations or bars

Explore using food bars to introduce healthy and diverse foods. They give customers the autonomy to select their preferred foods while encouraging them to try new foods. Examples include taco, ramen, or pho bars. Encourage customers to try these foods by using creative naming, taste testing, alterations to the food display, and other behavioral design strategies. These approaches can positively influence customer purchases and increase venue profits.

Sourcing preferred foods

Staple ingredients

The vendor may use common staple ingredients across culturally preferred cuisines because they may be relatively inexpensive and readily sourced.

Spices and herbs

Spices can infuse a dish with the flavors of a region or community. Distributors can check with local markets or ask local restaurants where to source specialty.

Meats and produce

The vendor can buy meats and produce from local growers, if feasible, to reduce the supply chain distance. When possible, vendors can consider buying from farmers and ranchers who use desired cultural practices and techniques for processing, for example, kosher preparation.

Working with your vendors

If your food vendors are not bound by contract to add certain foods, ask them if changes are possible. Consider asking the food vendor questions about:

• Their willingness to offering preferred foods and promote new menu items.
• The cost-effectiveness of sourcing ingredients.
• Their ability to offer preferred foods that also meet nutrition standards.
• Whether specialized kitchen equipment might be needed.
• Knowledge and experience cooking diverse cuisines.
• Types of foods and cuisines that are profitable.
• How often to introduce new or seasonal recipes to the menu rotation.
• Their willingness to offer specific dishes tied to religious observances.

Contracts and policies

Consider adding a preferred food standard to your organization's food service guidelines policy.

Sample language for food service guideline policy:

• All onsite food vendors are encouraged to offer a variety of foods related to the heritages of customers and meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Alternatively, your organization could solicit food vendors willing to assess customers' cultural food preferences and include cultural foods in the menu cycles. This can be done via the Request for Proposals (RFP) process. After selecting a qualified vendor, make sure all cultural food standards are stipulated in the final contract language and vendor's scope of work.

The policy section of the Food Service Guidelines Implementation Toolkit provides more information on standards for vendor contracts, RFPs, and organizational policies.

Next steps

Collaborate with Worksite Wellness Staff

Describes how worksite wellness staff can help your food service guidelines initiatives.

July 25, 2025

Use Recognition Programs

Describes using recognition programs for program to support food service guidelines.

Mar. 29, 2024

Return to "Building Blocks"

Use the "Building Blocks of Food Service Guidelines" to navigate to other parts of the Food Service Guidelines Implementation Toolkit.