Registered businesses should by now have received their box of goodies containing a whole range of bright new materials, including posters, leaflets, tent cards and wobblers. If you have not yet received your pack please get in touch.
The pack also includes a booklet explaining all the changes that have been made to the award criteria. Newly registered businesses will receive an updated guidance folder that already includes the revised criteria.
Remember you can no longer use the apple symbol to highlight healthier choices on the menu. This change took effect at the start of 2012 as a result of new EU regulations designed to protect consumers from potentially misleading health claims.
As soon as you can, please read through the booklet and make the necessary changes. You will be assessed on these new criteria at your next assessment or quality assurance visit.
Remember that 50 per cent of the food items you serve must still be healthyliving items (70 per cent for plus award holders), although you can no longer highlight them as such to your customers. The booklet gives lots of practical advice on alternative ways to promote healthy eating, or visit the Marketing and Promotion page in the members' area for more ideas.
The healthyliving award will continue to be the sign of healthier food, so you can still display the award logo in your premises as long as it’s not beside any particular food items. The logo lets customers know that you hold the award or are working towards it, and that you always serve food made with their health in mind.
For electronic versions of the leaflets and posters, including "empty belly" posters where you can add your own healthy eating messages, visit the Downloads page in the members' area.