Making healthy eating easy

Subject: Food safety

A pioneering new Welsh scheme designed to improve nutritional standards in cafes and restaurants is to be rolled out across the country, delegates will be told at a CIEH conference.

The Wales wide Healthy Options Award will see establishments graded for offering low salt and low saturated fat alternatives alongside their traditional array of heart stopping fare.

Food premises that make the mark will be able to visibly display a Health Options Award logo, allowing customers to make a healthy and informed choice about where and what they eat, as well as assisting caterers to meet the demand for healthy food and rewarding them for doing so.

Director of CIEH Wales Julie Barratt said:

“There are around 22,000 catering premises in Wales. A major barrier to people eating healthy food is the lack of awareness about what goes into their meals when they eat out.

“This scheme will make it easy to eat healthily, providing customers with access to a recognisable programme where they know, on entering a food premise, that they can choose a nutritionally balanced and healthy option.”

The scheme has been subject to a year long pilot and results show that caterers like the scheme, value the competitive edge that it gives them, and also assists them in meeting customer demand.

Alongside standard options, outlets will have to offer foods made with unsaturated fats rather than saturated, skimmed/semi-skimmed milk instead of full fat, herbs and spices rather than salt, as well as other healthier alternatives.

Customers would be allowed to spread their own butter and pure fruit juices, water and milk would also be made available.

Businesses are assessed by a scoring matrix where the successful will be given a gold silver or bronze award. The award scheme is only applicable to businesses in possession of a food hygiene award – to ensure that not only are nutritious food choices are available but also that they are produced in a hygienic way.

Aimed at food outlets, from restaurants to pubs and cafes, the scheme is supported by the CIEH, the Food Standards Agency, local authorities and the National Public Health Service.

The review of the pilot scheme will be discussed at the CIEH Wales conference Public Health: Changing Behaviours conference, to be held in Cardiff on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 April.