The principles
These are the areas where you need to improve your menu, to make it healthier and more sustainable. They apply to all sectors.
- Increase fruit and vegetables
- Increase fibre
- Increase oil rich fish
- Reduce fat
- Reduce salt
- Reduce sugar
- Action on promotions and availability
- Action on portion size
- Action on calories
- Action on sustainable food
- Code of practice for children’s menus
Increase fruit and vegetables
Help your customers to eat at least 5 a day. Fruit and vegetables are an important part of a healthy balanced diet. They are a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals and add a burst of colour and flavour to any dish. Most adults in Scotland are not consuming enough fruit and vegetables.
Including more fruit and vegetables in your menu:
- benefits your customers' health
- can also support your business to create a more cost-effective menu
This caters to the growing customer demand for healthier and sustainable options when eating out.
Increase fibre
Including more fibre-rich ingredients in your dishes is an easy way to enhance the flavour and improve customers' health. Eating plenty of fibre is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and bowel cancer. Most adults in Scotland are not eating enough fibre.
By incorporating fibre-rich foods you can:
- satisfy your customers’ hunger and keep them feeling fuller for longer
- reduce costs and waste while promoting a healthier and more sustainable menu
Good sources of fibre include the following examples:
- wholegrain foods - wholemeal bread, wholegrain rice and pasta, high fibre breakfast cereals
- fruit and vegetables (fresh, dried, tinned or frozen)
- nuts and seeds - peanuts, almonds, sunflowers seeds, sesame seeds
- beans, pulses and peas - baked beans, edamame beans, chickpeas, lentils
Fruit and vegetables are a great source of fibre. By implementing the fruit and vegetable actions you are already taking steps to creating a delicious fibre-rich menu.
Increase oil rich fish
Support your customers to eat sustainably sourced oil rich fish. Not only delicious, oil rich fish are also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. These are essential for maintaining a healthy heart, brain and immune system. Most adults in Scotland are not eating enough oil rich fish.
Some tasty choices for oil rich fish include salmon, trout, sardines, mackerel, and herring. Fresh tuna is no longer considered an oil rich fish. White fish is an excellent source of protein and low in fat and is a great addition to your menus. However, it does not contain the same levels of omega-3 fatty acids as oil rich fish.
Reduce fat
A small amount of fat is an essential part of a healthy and balanced diet. However, many adults in Scotland are consuming too much fat and saturated fat. Too much saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Reducing fat can be a great way to reduce the calories on your menus. This caters to the growing customer demand for healthier options when eating out. As well as improving your customers' health, reducing fat could also help save you money and support your sustainability goals.
Fat sources:
There are two main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated.
Saturated fat is mainly found in animal products but also found in cocoa butter, coconut, and palm oil. Some other foods high in saturated fat are butter, cream, cheese, meat and meat products, cakes, pastries, biscuits and coconut milk.
Unsaturated fat is found in vegetable oils (rapeseed, sunflower, olive, corn), lower fat spreads, avocados, nuts and seeds and oil rich fish.
Reduce salt
Help your customers to eat less salt by making simple changes to your menu. Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Most adults in Scotland are eating too much salt. Reducing salt in the food you provide benefits your customers’ health. It also allows the natural flavours of ingredients to shine, leading to more delicious dishes.
Reduce sugar
Reducing sugar doesn’t mean sacrificing taste. In fact, by using alternatives such as fruit you can create healthier options which are just as delicious. Food and drinks high in sugar can contribute to tooth decay, and drinking too many sugary drinks increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Added sugars, also known as free sugars, are found in high quantities in many foods. These include desserts, cakes, biscuits, fizzy drinks, and confectionery. Most adults in Scotland are consuming too much free sugar. By making these simple changes you can support your customers to reduce their free sugar intake.
Action on promotions and availability
Support healthier and more sustainable eating through promotion and marketing. Promotions are a great way of giving your business a competitive edge. Plus, they'll help your customers to choose healthier meal, drink and snack options.
The way in which you advertise and promote your food and where you put it can significantly influence the choices that your customers make. Promotions, and having more healthier options available, are great ways of encouraging customers to eat well. They should also help increase your sales.
Action on portion size
Reducing or offering smaller portion sizes is a great way to reduce calories. You'll also be supporting your customers to make healthier choices. Portion sizes when eating out tend to be larger than those at home. This can lead to people consuming excess calories, resulting in weight gain.
Standardising portion sizes also mean consistency in the taste, flavour and quantity of food. This will keep your customers coming back for more. It is also crucial for the success of any outlet as it can have a considerable impact on your food costs and waste.
Action on calories
Help your customers make informed, healthier choices when eating out. You can do this by having calorie information of the food you serve available. Consuming too many calories can lead to overweight and obesity. These can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and type 2 diabetes. Two thirds of adults in Scotland are living with overweight or obesity.
To help you reduce calories in the food you serve, maximum calorie recommendations have been set for a number of food categories. Calorie information and meeting maximum calorie recommendations will help show where you can:
- reduce portion sizes
- change ingredients to reduce the calories in the food you serve
These small changes could also lead to costs savings and a reduction in food waste.
By implementing the actions in the other principles, you're already taking steps to creating a menu with reduced calories.
Action on sustainable food
Customers are increasingly conscious of their behaviours around sustainability. They want to make healthy and sustainable choices when eating out or grabbing a bite to eat on the go. By tapping into this interest in health and sustainability you'll be supporting the health of your customers and the health of the planet.
Sustainability is not just about the food, but also the processes and practices involved in bringing that food to the customer's plate. Sustainable food practices encompass a wide range of factors throughout the food supply chain. These include production, preparation, distribution, packaging and consumption - including food waste. By addressing each of these aspects your businesses can make a real commitment to sustainability.
Code of practice for children’s menus
As more and more families are eating out, it is no longer seen as only a special occasion and parents are actively seeking healthier options on menus. Have an attractive children’s menu that appeals to the tastes and appetites of a range of children’s ages. This is a great way to encourage them to choose a healthier option.
Early childhood is a critical time for establishing good nutrition and healthy eating habits. Children need a healthy, balanced diet which is rich in fruit, vegetables and fibre and low in fat, sugar and salt. They should have access to a variety of foods to help make sure that they get the wide range of nutrients they need to stay healthy.
If you offer a children’s menu (12 years and under) you must meet all 7 actions in the code of practice. You will find some useful top tips under each action to help you achieve them.