Local café wins 1st Healthier Choices Award

The Award recognises changes made by food outlets to provide a choice of healthier foods through the use of healthier fats, cutting down on sugar and salt, and by actions to promote these healthier offerings to their customers. It also considers the environment within the establishment, promoting family friendly facilities such as high chairs, a changing area and being breastfeeding friendly.

LEAP’s Diet and Nutrition team worked with families and local food outlets before launching the scheme. They identified meaningful changes to food on offer that families would respond positively to, and which food outlets would be prepared to make.

Businesses that make the necessary changes receive an award and display a window sticker – green when they’ve made initial changes to menus and environments, and gold when staff have received nutritional training.

Liza Ctori, LEAP Senior Community and Environmental Health Officer said: “It’s sometimes difficult to find healthy out-of-home food options, or to work out what’s healthy and what’s not. We want to work with local food establishments to offer families healthier options and more choice.”