Monash Health employees, visitors and patients now have access to a more extensive range of healthy food options at cafés located at Monash Medical Centre Clayton, Monash Children’s Hospital, Kingston Centre and Moorrabin Hospital. In April 2021, these four cafes met the ‘Healthy Choices Guidelines’ – a Victorian Government policy that ensures healthy food and drinks are promoted in hospitals, health services, sport and recreation centres, parks and workplaces.
Supported by the Healthy Eating Advisory Service (HEAS), the ‘Healthy Choices Guidelines’ classify food and drinks according to a traffic light system, helping consumers make informed choices about the food and drinks they consume.
Under the Healthy Choices guidelines’ traffic light system, food items are labelled as “green”, “amber” or “red”.
- Food items labelled “green” are the best choice, as they are typically good sources of nutrients and fibre and are lower in energy, saturated fat, sugar and/or salt. An example of a “green” food might be a grilled chicken and salad sandwich. At least 50% of the food and drinks available for purchase at the four sites are now “green”.
- Food items labelled “amber” should be chosen carefully and be eaten only in moderation. “Amber” foods can be good sources of nutrients, but might also contain saturated fat, added sugar and/or salt and can lead to excess energy intake. An example of an “amber” food is a salad sandwich with full- fat cheese and mayonnaise. This item will contain nutrients from the bread and salad, but will contribute excessive energy and saturated fat from the full-fat cheese and mayonnaise.
- “Red” foods are not essential to our diet. They do not provide many valuable nutrients or significant fibre, and they are high in energy, saturated fat, sugar and/or salt, if consumed too often or in large amounts, can lead to chronic diseases. Examples of “red” foods are sugary soft drinks or deep-fried foods, like chips. “Red” foods should be eaten only in small amounts. No more than 20% of the food available for purchase across the four sites sites is “red”.
This work has involved reformulation of recipes, education of employees, changes to food displays and significant commitment from all involved. In response to the work undertaken, the Program Manager at the Healthy Eating Advisory Service, Margaret Rozman, said Monash Health should be proud of the hard work they have put in to bring about these changes.
“There has been a coordinated commitment across the organisation to achieve this result including management, the Healthy Choices Working Group and their on-site retailer. Healthy Choices is about increasing healthy food and drink options, helping consumers make a more informed choice about what they are eating and that’s a great outcome for the community,” said Margaret.
These new changes build on Monash Health’s commitment to providing healthy food options.
Chair of the Healthy Choices Committee and Director of Capital Projects, Anna Laird said she was proud of the work done to date on this project.
“As the largest health service in Victoria, Monash Health is committed to increasing the number of healthy food options across all our campuses to benefit the health of our employees, visitors and patients. The implementation of the Healthy Choices Guidelines is something our community and employees have been asking us for and it is a great achievement to have it implemented.”
Approved by Anna Laird