Welcome to coretalk! In this edition we will show how healthier eating needn’t mean missing out. You can read about businesses that have been offering their customers healthier treats throughout the year, providing tasty alternatives to coffee and cake.

For other healthy treats, look out for our new recipe booklet – Healthy Living, Tasty Living – which is available now. It can also be downloaded from our website www.healthylivingaward.co.uk.

With almost 1000 businesses currently registered with the healthyliving award, now is the time to look at its impact across Scotland.

Over the coming months, an independent research company will be evaluating the award, looking at the effect it has had on both the provision and uptake of healthier options when eating out.

If you have achieved the award, or are currently registered with us, we may invite you to participate and give your views on what the award means to you.

What’s cooking?

Healthier options enhance a great day out

Some of Scotland’s top tourist attractions are turning the country’s reputation for stodgy food on its head after picking up the healthyliving award.

Following recent criticism from consumer group Which? that visitor sites in the UK offer insufficient healthy options, a further three major Scottish attractions have picked up the award.

Threave Garden and Brodick Castle (both National Trust for Scotland sites) and The Falkirk Wheel have all received the award after making it easier for people to choose healthy options when eating there.

These take the total of healthyliving award-winning Scottish visitor attractions to 25. Other sites offering a good range of healthy options include New Lanark Visitor Centre and the Scottish Wool Centre in Aberfoyle.

Claire Brown, Project Manager of the healthyliving award, said: “I am delighted with the response we have had from visitor attractions in Scotland.

“It is particularly important for the cafes and restaurants at these sites to offer healthy food, as they are popular with families and there are often no other food outlets within the grounds.”

The restaurant at Threave Garden achieved the healthyliving award after making everything on the existing menu a bit healthier, including popular favourites such as paninis and baked potatoes.  Lighter versions of fillings were introduced, while delicious homemade soups are among the other healthyliving options on the menus.

Around 60,000 customers are served at the tearoom at Brodick Castle on Arran every year and staff pride themselves on getting the balance right between healthy food and offering visitors a treat.

The cafe at The Falkirk Wheel, where more than 1000 people eat every day in high season, achieved the award after adapting to growing customer demand for healthier options.

Instead of chicken mayonnaise baguettes and creamy soups, visitors to the popular attraction can now enjoy Thai prawn sandwiches on brown bread and home-made soups with fresh herbs and seasonal vegetables.

Would you like healthy options to be available at your favourite place to eat? Why not encourage them to apply for the healthyliving award?  For information on how to apply, they can contact 0141 226 5261 or visit www.healthylivingaward.co.uk.

Nibbles

Don’t forget to update your address book!

Consumer Focus Scotland was launched on 1st October, merging three former organisations: the Scottish Consumer Council (where the healthyliving award is based), energywatch (Scotland) and Postwatch (Scotland).

The postal address and phone numbers for the healthyliving award remain unchanged, and our website, general enquiries and newsletter email contact addresses also stay the same. See the contact details at the foot of the page.

However, email addresses for team members have now changed, so if you are emailing an individual member of the healthyliving award team, the email address format is now:
firstname.lastname@consumerfocus.org.uk.

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Food Service Sector
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Customers
Do you sometimes want to eat healthily when eating out? Click here
issue eight: November 2008
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The healthyliving awardNHS Health Scotland - Scotland's health improvement agencyHealthier Scotland - Scottish GovernmentHealthier Scotland - Scottish Government