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Helping the health of Scotland
With a national survey revealing that nearly half of all Scots would like to see more healthy choices on menus, it is widely accepted that Scotland's food establishments could do more to provide healthier choices to people eating out.
But now, with the launch of the new Healthyliving Award, chefs restaurateurs and caterers throughout Scotland can strive to achieve better standards of healthier foods for their customers.
Dr Claire Brown,Project Manager of the healthyliving award provides an insight into the health-conscious initiative, and explains how every caterer can help the health of our country…
The Healthyliving Award gives national recognition to caterers and the foodservice sector for providing healthier options by reducing levels of fat, salt and sugar in food, and by making fruit and vegetables more easily available.
Covering all food-serving outlets in Scotland, including workplace restaurants, cafes, sandwich shops, further education sites and restaurants, the award is linked to the Scottish Executive's national Healthyliving campaign and uses the recognisable apple symbol within the logo.
The survey by the Scottish Consumer Council of more than 500 people found that 45% of Scots polled have requested healthy options in the past but have not found anything suitable on menus.
Of those asked, 94% agreed it was important that healthier choices were available to people who eat out, and 88% agreed that healthy options can be made to taste as good as less healthy fare. The research illustrates that people have a hungry appetite for healthy choices, and are generally more aware about the benefits of healthy eating.
Launched by the Scottish Consumer Council and the Scottish Executive, the Healthyliving Award covers the majority of food-serving outlets in Scotland, particularly locations where people buy food regularly, such as workplace restaurants, cafes, sandwich shops, further education sites, hospital canteens and restaurants.
The new accreditation will take a more wide-ranging approach to encourage caterers to adopt healthier practices across the board, and will be actively promoted to consumers to help them access healthier options.
To qualify for the Healthyliving Award, caterers need to meet a set of key criteria, which includes a commitment to providing and supporting healthier eating, their methods of preparing food, marketing and promotional activities, and the way in which food is presented and sold.
Caterers will be required to reduce the levels of fats and oils, salt and sugar and to make fruit and vegetables clearly available. At least half of the food they serve will need to be a Healthyliving choice, prepared using both healthier ingredients and healthier cooking methods, and healthy and nutritious food is required to be available for children in places where they are served.
The interest we have received from eating establishments has been fantastic, and we hope many others, including UK-wide caterers with food outlets in Scotland, will come forward to gain the national recognition they deserve for the efforts they are making to help improve the health of Scots.
It is vital that the industry makes it easy for people to make healthy choices when eating out.
They need to be able to see at a glance where that choice is available and then easily identify the healthy options on offer, and I believe the Healthyliving Award will do that. Whether it's lunch in the staff restaurant, a sandwich from a high street establishment, parents eating out with children, or simply enjoying an evening out with friends, the Award will be the sign of healthier food.
For further information on how to apply for the Healthyliving Award, visit www.healthylivingaward.co.uk
This article has been edited from its original version. For the complete feature please see Catering in Scotland magazine November/December 2006.
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