A Nutritionist has joined a luxury hotel group to develop healthy menus for guests as part of a worldwide bid to advance hospitality food and beverage leadership.

Asia Pacific's leading luxury hotel group, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, is advancing its food and beverage leadership by developing new menus with a nutritionist to provide healthy and nutritious cuisine to guests at its properties worldwide. Mr. Wong Chi Wing, a registered dietician from the Commission on Dietetic Registration accredited by the American Dietetic Association, has been retained to work with Shangri-La in a major initiative to bring healthy dining to a higher level of creativity at Shangri-La properties.

Shangri-La will work closely with Mr. Wong to develop menus to meet the nutritional and lifestyle needs of its guests, from frequent business travellers to active, health-conscious vacationers and conference participants. Nutritional needs are unique to each individual; the new menus will allow guests to select from a variety of dishes that are specific to their dietary needs while on the road.

Mr. Wong is department head of food and dietetic at Hong Kong Adventist Hospital. He has 10 years of experience as a dietician and holds a degree in nutrition and dietetic from Loma Linda University in California. Mr. Wong was past vice president of the Hong Kong Practicing Dieticians Union and is often featured as an expert source on local radio stations and in publications. He is also a frequent guest speaker at seminars organised by the Hong Kong Cancer Fund and Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation.

A leader in food and beverage standards, Shangri-La has established food safety benchmarks with the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System) certifications in its hotels, one of the most sought-after accreditations in the food service industry. Twenty-one Shangri-La properties are now HACCP certified, and it is anticipated that all Shangri-La hotels will be awarded the certificate by 2008. Suppliers are part of the system of ensuring that only safe, high quality food is served.

Hong Kong Adventist Hospital was established in 1971 and is well known for its dedication to providing premium healthcare services to the community. Adventist Hospitals in Hong Kong represent just two of some 160 Adventist Health hospitals, and 350 medical institutions, worldwide. The mission of Adventist Health (Hong Kong) is to provide premier ethical leadership and multi-disciplinary teamwork to plan, establish, and manage a comprehensive range of healthcare services that promote a total healing environment and lifestyle.

Both Hong Kong Adventist Hospital and its sister Hospital, Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital were the first to receive accreditation from Joint Commission International (JCI). JCI is an internationally recognised organisation that applies standards to patient care and safety.