Promote and Provide Healthy Food and Drink Choices
What is the Heart of Newcastle Award?
Newcastle City Councils’ Safety, Food and Health Improvement Team have developed the Heart of Newcastle Award in partnership with the Newcastle Primary Care Trust’s Health Improvement Service and Community Dietitians.
The award is unique to the City of Newcastle. To receive the Heart of Newcastle Award you must:
• promote and provide healthy food and drink choices
• have high standards of food hygiene
Who can apply?
The Heart of Newcastle Award is free and open to all businesses providing food, for example sandwich shops, takeaways, restaurants, cafes, public houses, hotels, clubs, workplace canteens, leisure and community centres.
Aims of the award
To provide recognition for food businesses who are committed to promoting and providing healthier food and drink choices and an excellent standard of food hygiene.
The award has two main goals:
- to make the food you serve healthier by making changes to how food is prepared and served
- to help customers make informed choices about food by including healthy choices on your menu, which are clearly identified
Why should I apply?
The award will be “Good for you” and your business giving you:
- public recognition for achieving the award
- association with positive media coverage about healthy lifestyles
- an improved image as a responsible and health conscious business
- the ability to satisfy growing demand for healthier choices
- improved knowledge of healthier food practices
- improved customer satisfaction
- addition to the Heart of Newcastle Award website
The award will be “Good for Newcastle”; giving your customers:
- a guarantee that they can make healthy food choices in your business
- confidence that food is prepared to high standards of food hygiene
Why the Heart of NewcastleAwardis important?
Greater numbers of people regularly eat meals away from homeand many are looking for healthier foods as they are concerned about their health. Award holders are committed to promoting good health by providing a range of foods that meet customer demands for healthy choices.
Newcastle is the regional capital for the North East. The City Centre is the region’s strongest shopping centre and is a major international tourist destination.
There has been a recent increase in the number of people who are overweight or obese. 24 million adults in England are either overweight or obese.In 2002, the North East, together with London, had the highest rate of obesity among children in the country. We can influence our risk of becoming obese and getting coronary heart disease by what we do and what we eat.
It is important to have a diet that contains less fat, especially saturated fat, salt and sugar and contains more fibre, fruit and vegetables. Healthier food choices need not mean a drastic change in your menu. A healthier menu will make use of wholegrain cereals and bread, have a good range of vegetables or fruit, use less fats and oils in preparation, use less sugar and reduce the amount of prepared and packaged food to lower the salt content.
By helping customers make healthier choices through healthier eating practices, the impact on the health of the people of Newcastle would be great.
What will I need to do?
Following your Food Hygiene inspection and in line with the Food Safety Act 1990 Code of Practice authorised Environmental Health Officers will risk rate your business.
To satisfy the award criteria your premises must achieve a risk rating score, which demonstrates that you have a very good level of compliance in the following areas:
• Food Hygiene & Safety
• Structure
• Confidence in Management
Confidence in Management relates to documented procedures and systems demonstrating the effective control of food safety hazards.
Having achieved an excellent food hygiene standard you also need to meet the criteria detailed in the menu assessment checklist. These criteria are based on the following principles of healthy eating:
At least half of the menu must be identified as Healthy Choice
Making starchy foods the main part of most meals, such as pasta and rice
Making fruit and vegetables readily available
A vegetarian option containing beans/pulses/’Quorn’/tofu must be available every day
Fats and oils, especially saturated fat, should be kept to a minimum
Make sure the level of sugar is kept to a minimum in food and drink, using alternatives where possible
Make sure the level of salt is kept to a minimum and use alternatives where possible
Children’s menus should follow the same criteria
How to apply for a Heart of Newcastle Award
You will need to ensure that your premises are eligible and that your business meets the criteria for both hygiene standards and healthy eating.
Complete the Menu Assessment Checklist and Application Form, which are included in the Heart of Newcastle pack.
How will I be assessed?
Upon receipt of your application, a visit will be arranged within 28 working days. The visit will verify the information given in your completed self-assessment form.
If you have been successful, you will be sent a certificate and window sticker.
If you are unsuccessful, feedback will include details of the areas you need to work on before applying again.
What else do I need to know?
We are a large organisation and want many of our sites to apply, is this possible?
If your organisation is part of a chain or contract catering company, you can apply as part of a multi-site application where the same menu assessment checklist covers all sites. However, each site will need an assessment visit. Alternatively, if you are part of a large organisation but want to apply for your site only, you can do this by applying on your own.
What are the conditions of the Award?
Reassessment for the award will be at the time of the next planned food hygiene inspection, which generally will be eighteen months but may be up to two years. The Award Certificate and promotional materials are valid until your next planned food hygiene inspection and during this time, you should display the certificate in your premises.
The award remains the property of Newcastle City Council and can be revoked at any time should your establishment fail to meet any of the award criteria.
Quality Assurance
It is important that you continue to meet the standards required to maintain the credibility of the award. You may receive unannounced visits by an officer from Newcastle City Council to ensure that the organisation is upholding the award criteria. In the event that customer complaints are received then you will be visited. You cannot make any misleading claims.
For further information please telephone the Heart of Newcastle Award Team on 0191 211 6123