Schemes promote healthier eating across the city

The Healthier Options for Cambridgeshire pilot scheme will target approximately 150 food businesses in the city centre and the catchment areas of seven schools in two less affluent wards in the city (Arbury and King’s Hedges), and ask them to commit to a range of actions to make the food they serve healthier. These could include adding less salt, grilling or baking food where possible, using polyunsaturated or monounsaturated oils if frying food, and using semi-skimmed or skimmed milk for drinks.

In addition, the council is aiming to work with the families of the pupils of the seven schools to increase their awareness of food hygiene and healthier eating through a series of events involving schoolchildren and their parents. The intention is to work with the schools to promote healthier and hygienic food practices, thereby making more people aware of the benefits they can offer.

The schemes are outlined in the council’s Environment, Waste and Public Health portfolio plan, which was approved at Environment Scrutiny Committee earlier this month.

The objective of increasing the availability and awareness of healthier food alternatives is part of the ongoing work the council is doing to tackle poverty and social exclusion in the city.

The council is responsible for food hygiene and health and safety enforcement for businesses in the city, including around 1100 food businesses. Each year it publishes a Business Regulation Plan which outlines how it plans to do so, and states what its priorities are for the year.

This year’s plan includes details of how the council will encourage food businesses in the city to improve their hygiene ratings, and for more of them to display these ratings to the public.

A recent assessment by consumer organisation Which? found that the council had inspected and rated 99% of the city’s food businesses, and that 97% of them were rated in the top three categories of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.

Cllr Peter Roberts, Executive Councillor for Environment, Waste and Public Health said: “The council is committed to doing all it can to spread the message about healthier eating to Cambridge people. Helping people to eat more healthily is one of the ways we can try and reduce the discrepancies in regards to things such as obesity and poor health that exist between different parts of the city.

“These two proposed schemes, along with the excellent work being done by the council with the city’s food businesses, can help make a real difference to people’s health – which has benefits for the city as a whole.”


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Contacts

Cllr Peter Roberts (Labour), Executive Councillor for Environment, Waste and Public Health, email: peter.roberts@cambridge.gov.uk, tel: 07968 216411

 Cllr Mike Pitt (Liberal Democrat), Opposition spokesperson, email: mike@einval.com, tel: 01223 709544

 Jas Lally, Head of Refuse and Environment, email: jas.lally@cambridge.gov.uk, tel: 01223

 Yvonne O’Donnell, Environmental Health Manager (Commercial), email: yvonne.odonnell@cambridge.gov.uk, tel:

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