Isolation food a bit hit and miss

Mixed reviews on the food front have been rolling in from isolation hotels across the country.

While some people staying at the hotels have described the menu as a bit ‘‘hit and miss’’ on the flavour front, with some questionable portion sizes, others such as UFC lightweight Dan Hooker are loving it.

‘‘Bacon and eggs for breakfast; I just had some fish and chips for lunch. I can’t complain at all – I’m living like a king over here,’’ said Hooker, who is nine days into his 14-day managed isolation.

Hooker recently returned to New Zealand following his fiveround war against American Dustin Poirier.

He’s serving his quarantine time at the Novotel Hotel in Auckland, where he said guests were being well fed and well managed by staff.

‘‘I’m feeling good and the food has been nice, man.’’

Over at the Holiday Inn, near Auckland Airport, it’s a different story. A couple, now 12 days into their time at the managed isolation facility, haven’t had the same 5-star dining experience as Hooker.

‘‘We got given a menu on the first night where we had to tick what we wanted for the two weeks, but it’s the same each week,’’ the woman said.

‘‘Breakfast is standard – you can pick continental or cooked. The continental is bread – they don’t allow you to have toasters in the room, so it’s literally just bread – and yoghurt.

‘‘The cooked option is eggs, mushrooms, potatoes. You don’t want to complain, obviously, but it’s all pretty average – things they can make in bulk, I guess.’’

Tuesday night is the highlight at the Holiday Inn, where guests get roast pork, and Thursday is butter chicken night, the woman said.

‘‘That’s delicious; everything else is pretty gross,’’ she said.

‘‘They’re accommodating to allergies, but by pretty much just taking things out. For example, I’m allergic to crustaceans and there is a seafood Asian dish, so I got noodles, cauliflower and broccoli one night for dinner.’’

It’s a similar story for some at the Ibis Hotel, in Rotorua. One guest shared with Stuff an image of his lunch – a vegetarian option, with little other than a few vegetables sitting on a bed of rice.

Rosanne Gilks, a nutritionist with Feel Fresh Nutrition, said the two meals shared with Stuff were a protein source away from being balanced. ‘‘The two meals with a nice piece of fish, tofu or meat and a few more veggies added would be balanced and nutritionally sound,’’ she said.

‘‘One might assume that skipping this nutrient is a way to reduce overall costs, but that would be conjecture.’’

Services such as Uber Eats are available, and friends and family can make food deliveries that are left with security staff.

A Covid-19 All-of-Government Response Group spokesperson said all facilities used for managed isolation and quarantine needed to confirm they were able to provide returnees with three meals per day that met dietary requirements, medical needs and cultural tastes.

The three meals and snacks are funded by the Government, though a cost breakdown for food provision was not readily available.