Currently, awareness of a healthy lifestyle is increasing in society. One of the emerging trends is diet catering. In response to this demand, the community service team led by Marina Hardiyanti, S.Gz., M.Sc., Dr. Mirza Hapsari Sakti Titis Penggalih, MPH., RD, and Farah Faza, S.Gz., M.Sc, teaching staff at the Department of Nutrition Health, initiated a program for Assisting with Business Plans and Capacity Building for Staff and Managers in Syuhada’s Diet Catering Business Expansion Efforts that is supported by the funding from Hibah Abdimas Sociopreneur FK-KMK UGM.
Syuhada’s Diet Catering is a catering service in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. It is expanding its business by offering a new product: diet catering.
The Abdimas Sociopreneur program encompasses various activities. Completed activities include a “Training of Trainers,” which involved different training sessions such as enhancing teamwork and effective communication within a team. Additionally, there were training sessions on food safety, food preparation, food production, and food presentation. The teamwork and effective communication training took place on June 10, 2023, at Warung Konco Ndeso, with facilitators specializing in team building. This event consisted of workshops and interactive games to enhance teamwork and communication among the Syuhada catering staff. Participants showed great enthusiasm and provided positive feedback on the activities.
Furthermore, on July 17, 18, 24, and 25, 2023, training sessions were conducted with culinary business experts invited to provide insights on food safety, food preparation, food production, and food presentation. These sessions were held at Syuhada’s catering facility after production hours to avoid disruption. All Syuhada catering staff attended the food safety training to refresh their knowledge regarding food handling, hygiene and sanitation. The production team participated in the food preparation and production training to enhance their understanding of optimal food processing. As for the food presentation training, it was attended by the packaging team to improve the visual appeal of the food. Participants actively engaged in the sessions by asking relevant questions about the catering operations and seeking solutions from the experts.
Another activity involved optimizing product marketing by creating a product profile booklet/module. It included menus and photos of the food products from Syuhada’s diet catering. The product profile booklet also displayed nutritional content, menu cycles, and the ingredients used in Syuhada’s diet catering products. Additionally, the community service team assisted in promoting the business during the Health and Nutrition Alumni Gathering on August 25, 2023, by using banners and leaflets and providing food from Syuhada’s diet catering for the participants. The team also offered supporting equipment, such as rubber shoes and aprons, to all Syuhada’s diet catering staff to ensure food production adheres to the established standards.