PARIS, March 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Gustave Roussy, the premier cancer research center in Europe, together with Elior, leader in contract catering in France, and SaQuaNa** chef Alexandre Bourdas have joined forces to create a new catering offering that is designed for cancer patients and which helps restore their desire to eat.

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For Gustave Roussy, food is a key element in ensuring patient care and treatment. As such, it called on Elior and chef Alexandre Bourdas to develop a collection of recipes designed to stimulate patients' appetites and restore their sense of taste. Knowledge of cancer-treatment side effects is a prerequisite for developing a catering solution that makes eating a pleasurable experience. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery all cause loss of appetite, as well as digestive, taste and smell-related problems, oral disorders, chewing difficulties, etc. As such, taking into account these constraints, the aim of the three players was to develop a catering solution that is adapted to meet patients' individual nutritional needs and which is based on traditional, home-made cooking using bio and certified products.

For Frédéric Varnier, the Senior Vice-President of Gustave Roussy, "Beyond excellence in healthcare, we want to provide our patients with the finest level of service. Because patients are frail and lose their appetite, it is important they receive good meals to help ease their stay in hospital."

Pierre Knoché, Managing Director of Elior Healthcare in France, added: "While hospitalization imposes considerable restraints on patients and causes them to lose their bearings, mealtime should be a pleasurable moment they look forward to. Healthy, tasty food helps patients in the recovery process. It enhances their well-being and helps them get back to having a social life."

Alexandre Bourdas went on to say, "this collaboration with Gustave Roussy and Elior Group is exactly what I'm committed to: comforting people through my cooking so that they can take a break for a moment and enjoy a gustatory experience. The people in this case are cancer patients. Offering them a few minutes of pleasure to experience a variety of tastes and smells, sharing memories and reviving forgotten travels, simply and generously; that's what I think of everyday when I dream up my recipes."

For more information: Elior Group's website

SOURCE Elior Group