Salads for the Heroes

Eisberg Hungary joined Sportfive Hungary Ltd. and the Ferencváros sports club FTC in the initiative "We cook for heroes!" In addition to their free lunches, created by master chef András Wolf in the kitchen of the FTC stadium Groupama Arena, 150 hospital workers received fresh salads daily.

Employees of the Szent László Hospital received a hot lunch every day in April and fresh pastries for their morning snack from the kitchen of the Groupama Arena. The initiative continued in May, with 150 servings of lunch a day prepared for the hospital staff on weekdays until the middle of the month. "As the operator of Groupama Arena, we thought that as long as there were no football matches in the stadium, we would not be idle but help those who were working on the front line during the epidemic," András Igaz, Managing Director of Sportfive (earlier called Lagardère Sports Hungary Ltd.) highlights.
The kitchen of Groupama Arena was asked to prepare meals for the staff of the nearby hospital. Master Chef András Wolf, who runs the kitchen of the sports facility, was happy to take on the task. "In addition, our company and colleagues jointly donated HUF 10 million to the Foundation for Patients, Doctors and Employees of the Szent László and Szent István Hospital," the director adds.
Eisberg Hungary joined the initiative on May 1. They undertook to make the meals even more colorful and vitamin-rich with their salads and toppings. This was not the first time, however, that Sportfive Hungary partnered with Eisberg. “At the beginning of our cooperation, we enriched the food offer with salads at a reception in the VIP sector, as this was missing from the palette before. We are connected to football in many ways, last year, for instance, the management of the Hungarian Football Federation visited our factory,” Eisberg Hungary Managing Director Zoltán Gazsi says proudly.
The green color is usually associated with the Ferencváros club. The color of Eisberg is also green as they produce salads with lettuce and fresh vegetables. According to Zoltán Gazsi, the two entities are a well-matched couple, their encounter was basically that of fate. The common thinking did not end with the salad offering during this campaign, mainly because the operator of FTC’s stadium considers social responsibility important – as does Eisberg.
“I am convinced that we can find a lot more opportunities for cooperation. This is how the idea came for our brand ambassador, singer Bea Palya, to cook with András Wolf. Bea Palya’s values are very similar to Eisberg’s: she puts emphasis on human relationships and is also a believer in natural cuisine. An integral part of the latter is that she prefers natural foods, including salads,” the Managing Director points out.

Salads for your immune system
Salads, with their high vitamin content, have a positive impact on the immune system the well-functioning of which is paramount in preventing diseases. This is especially true in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic: salads and raw vegetables now clearly play a key role in people’s diet. Kinga Shenker-Horváth, dietitian at Eisberg Hungary Ltd. stresses that the proper functioning of the immune system depends on one’s lifestyle. The three pillars of a healthy lifestyle are a balanced diet, adequate exercise and mental balance, which also interact in a complex way.
“Vegetables and fruits are high on the daily diet because they are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. The recommendation is to eat at least four servings of each per day, one serving is about 100 grams of fresh, steamed or cooked vegetables or fruits (such as a medium-sized tomato, a medium-sized apple or a small plate of salad). Four servings a day may seem like a lot first but if you add vegetables or fruits to every meal, the recommendation is easy to follow. Add fresh, seasonal vegetables, salads
such as baby spinach, tomatoes, peppers, radishes, cucumbers, iceberg and bird salad to your main meals,” the dietitian suggests.
Another important aspect of avoiding disease is maximum hygiene. If people buy non-packaged fruits or vegetables for environmental reasons, they should be worried not only about general contamination but also about viruses in the current situation. In addition, if you want to wash them thoroughly, you also waste a lot of water. That is why buying a pre-packaged salad mix can be a good choice now. According to Zoltán Gazsi, in the case of non-heat-treated products, the consumer can expect the strictest hygiene practice.
“Salads will not be baked or cooked at home, hygiene requirements are highest for these foods as we produce a ready-to-eat raw product. In our case, the epidemic situation brought about only minimal changes within the plant. Now, white collar staff who are not working from an at home office also wear face masks. In the factory area, our people have always worked in protective clothing, caps, rubber gloves and mouth masks at all times,” the executive emphasizes.

ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE!
When Eisberg Hungary Managing Director Zoltán Gazsi learned he had colon cancer last August, after the first shock, he quickly started to concentrate on the solution. In various interviews, he said he had been in difficult situations beforehand, which may have prepared him that “whatever happens in life, I will handle it well” and it helps “if you are lucky and you have a positive view of life.” There is a long way to full recovery after the first negative test, but “I have a mission as manager: to highlight the importance of colonoscopy test. One can eat and live healthy, but cancer is a very complex problem. Most of us have stress, so, screening is evitable,” Zoltán Gazsi recently told the business magazine Figyelő.