How healthy is your sandwich?
Food outlets in Tewkesbury are being given a one-off opportunity to improve the nutritional content of the food they serve with the help of a panel of nutritional experts.
The Tewkesbury Healthy Catering Challenge is part of the Government-funded Count Me In! campaign - which is designed to inspire Tewkesbury residents of all ages to take part in a series of themed activities focused on food and nutrition, the environment and physical activity.
Gloucestershire County Council Trading Standards Officers will work alongside the Food Standards Agency, Food Vision and a selection of independent pubs, restaurants, delis, cafes and sandwich bars in Tewkesbury to review the levels of fat, salt and sugar in their most popular dishes, as part of the campaign to make Tewkesbury a healthier, happier place to live.
The challenge, which begins in September, will see 30 volunteer caterers have one dish off their menu analysed for its nutritional content. Once the results are back, the Food Officers will revisit the caterer with a nutritional consultant who will give them expert guidance and help them reformulate the sampled recipes to make them healthier.
The consultation links with work being carried out nationally by the Food Standards Agency which is working closely with the UK’s largest workplace caterers as well as smaller chains to encourage customers to make healthier choices when eating out.
Once the first stage of sampling and consultation is complete, the Food Officers will revisit the participating caterers in a year’s time to evaluate how well the food has been received, if any further changes have been made, and to re-analyse the food’s nutritional content.
Adrian Jevans, Gloucestershire Food Vision and Count Me In! board member, said: “This is an excellent example of how we are linking with the national work being done by the FSA and large food retailers. It gives our independent food retailers a chance not only to be ahead of the game, but influence how regulations maybe rolled out in the future. It gives them and their customers, a real opportunity to get really involved with Count Me In!”
Eddie Coventry, Head of Gloucestershire Trading Standards, said: The Count Me In! challenge is about getting caterers to think about the amount of fat, salt and sugar they are putting in to their top selling dishes with the ultimate aim of making it easier for the people of Tewkesbury to make healthier choices by choosing foods with reduced saturated fat and sugar, or by selecting smaller portion sizes.”
Food Officer, Heather Woodward, added: “This is a very exciting project to be working on and I would encourage all who are asked to partake to embrace with open arms.”