Meals for institutional feeding are arranged on trays in a central commissary with hot and cold food portions in separate containers. The containers for the hot items have bases formed with metallic plates and thermally insulated covers with internal metallic heat radiators. The trays are arranged in stacks in a refrigerated transport cart having spaced shelves which extend between the trays and include induction heating coils which produce heat generating currents in the metallic elements of the bases and covers of the hot food containers, heating these food portions while the other items are refrigerated. The hot food containers are provided in a variety of configurations each of which is heated at a different rate by the coils so the serving temperature of the food is determined by the type of its container.An alternative stationary heating mechanism has spaced shelves containing induction heating coils adapted to receive a plurality of stacked trays supported on a mobile cart. After the trays are interleaved with the stationary shelves, sections of the shelves are moved vertically to bring the coils into proximity to the metallic elements of the hot food containers.Alternative means are disclosed for heating the base and cover plates by other than inductive heating means.