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“Many Londoners experience significant health problems due in part to poor diets and the widespread availability of less healthy foods. The beauty of the Healthier Catering Commitment now being taken up by London boroughs and promoted by environmental health officers is that it encourages businesses to play their part in improving the healthiness of everyday food through simple, affordable and achievable steps.” Mark Browne, Regional Public Health Group, Department of Health, and member of the London Food Board |
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London Boroughs have an important role to play in helping their residents enjoy delicious food that is also good for their health. The Healthier Catering Commitment scheme is being promoted by environmental health teams in participating boroughs throughout London to help improve the diets of Londoners. Food outlets that have signed up to the Healthier Catering Commitment will be able to display a window sticker to inform customers that they are taking practical steps to improve the healthiness of their food.
Find out more about how your Borough can help businesses in your borough to serve healthier food by promoting the simple tips set out in the Healthier Catering Commitment. This scheme has been designed by environmental health teams in London Boroughs with support from primary care trusts (PCTs), the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and the Greater London Authority (GLA).
The beauty of this guidance is that it offers practical advice and describes straightforward changes that can be made to menus and the way caterers and food businesses prepare food, which will help make food healthier and should help participating businesses make financial savings through reduced waste. Simple and affordable steps that business can take include changing cooking oil to healthier alternatives, reducing salt, using more fruit and vegetables in recipe dishes, and promoting healthier options to customers.
What can London Boroughs do? Promote the Healthier Catering Commitment to London’s food businesses. This is already being promoted by environmental health officers and others in some London Boroughs and has been designed by them in conjunction with the Chartered Institute of Environmental health and the GLA. Contact Tay Potier at CIEH to find out more, tel: 020 7827 6306; email: t.potier@cieh.org.
Caterers and food outlets that adopt healthier ingredientsand cooking practices will – if they wish – be able to display a Healthier Catering Commitment sticker in their window. In participating boroughs, they will also be able to receive adviceand support from their environmental health team or PCT.
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