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The healthyliving award: Phase II
A brand-new healthy eating accreditation has been launched to provide caterers across Scotland with official recognition for their efforts to offer customers an expanded range of healthy options.
Catering in Scotland discovers the new healthyliving award plus, and finds that while it's more challenging to attain than its predecessor, the rewards can be even greater…
Officially unveiled by Minister for Public Health, Shona Robison MSP, at an awards ceremony in Perth Concert Hall on 11th May, Consumer Focus Scotland's healthyliving award plus sets a new standard for health promotion in the UK.
The new accolade is available to food outlets which have demonstrated a commitment to healthier eating by holding the original healthyliving award for a minimum of two years. To qualify for the higher level award, caterers must make at least 70% of their menus a healthyliving choice (in other words, low in fat, sugar and salt).
Claire Brown, Project Manager of the healthyliving award programme, is pleased with the amount of applications they have received so far: 'The response from caterers has been incredible over the past two and a half years, and now we have launched the next phase of the award,' she says. 'Scotland is already leading the way in promoting healthier options for consumers but we developed the new healthyliving award plus to allow food outlets which have held the award for a full term to demonstrate the depth of their commitment to healthy eating by increasing the proportion of low-fat, low-salt, low-sugar options they offer to their customers.'
The new award has already been achieved by food outlets in Fife, Edinburgh and Ayr which participated in a three-month pilot programme prior to the official launch. According to Dr Brown, feedback from this project has been 'overwhelmingly positive', with customers demonstrating a 'real enthusiasm for the wider range of healthy options available.'
Meanwhile, the initiative is proving influential outside Scotland's borders. Several local authorities in England have used it to develop their own similar accreditations, leading to the creation of, among others, Macclesfield Borough Council's 'Golden Apple' Award.
To qualify for both the healthyliving award and the healthyliving award plus, caterers need to meet a set of key criteria, including a commitment to:
- Providing healthier options
- Preparing, marketing and promoting healthier food
- Regulating the way in which food is presented and sold.
The healthy options must also be prepared using healthier ingredients and cooking methods, and healthy and nutritious food is required to be available for children in places where they are served.
Almost 600 food outlets have qualified for the original healthyliving award in Scotland since its launch in October 2006, and more than 1.200 have applied for the programme. Over 250 caterers picked up their accolades at the ceremony in Perth earlier this month, including 35 renewals of existing awards.
For information on how to apply, visit www.healthylivingaward.co.uk
This article has been edited from its original version. For the complete feature, please see Catering in Scotland magazine September/October 2009.
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