Lighter bites

Hot Food Counters Offer "Lighter Bites"

Magherafelt District Council has launched an exciting new initiative with retail premises in the Council area that serve hot food at lunch time.

The "Lighter Bites" programme which was launched on 01 February aims to offer those dining out at lunch time a healthier alternative to the convenience style hot food. The project is particularly aimed at those retail premises in close proximity to secondary level schools where students are permitted to leave the premises to source their lunch time meal. This is the first time in Northern Ireland that Councils, Schools and local businesses have come together to target the diet of young people eating outside of school.

All students permitted out of school in the Magherafelt District have been surveyed and follow up sampling of the foods consumed undertaken. Results have shown that some typical takeaway foods consumed by pupils, often on a daily basis can contain up to 165% of the guideline daily amount of saturated fat and almost 100% of the salt requirement in one meal. Continued consumption of this type of food will have long term health effects such as obesity, coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Catriona Davis, Senior Environmental Health Officer with Magherafelt District Council comments.

"We have launched this initiative in February to coincide with National Heart Month. We are working in partnership with local businesses to provide a "lighter bite" for those students and others through the provision of daily student specials. Each premises has introduced three student specials every lunchtime and also made two other changes to either their raw materials such as offering chunkier chips, offering smaller portions or by changing their cooking methods."

10 premises throughout the district have signed up to the project which will run initially for an eight week period for February and March. Each premises wil have the "lighter bites" logo on display. These are:

Centra, Maghera

Centra, Draperstown

Centra, Magherafelt

Kelly's Eurospar, Maghera

P&N Quality Meats, Maghera

Spar Highfield, Magherafelt

Snackbox, Magherafelt

Toners Nisa, Draperstown

Toners Nisa, Magherafelt

Toners Nisa, Maghera

This follows on from the successful "Smaller Steps to Healthier Choices" programme running in the fish and chip shops throughout the district which was launched in September last year. 15 local premises continue to operate the scheme with a total of 150 outlets participating throughout Northern Ireland.

Catriona comments:

"The co-operation we have received so far from businesses has been very encouraging, with the important factor being that the customer has the choice and can decide for themselves if they want the healthier alternative. In the long term we would like to see healthier alternatives available in all food outlets so that the saturated fat and salt content of convenience foods is reduced".

An up to date list of premises will be available throughout the project on the Council's website: www.magherafelt.gov.uk

Customer comment cards are available at each participating outlet and the Council would love to hear your views on this initiative. Alternatively for further information contact the Environmental Health Department on Tel: 02879397979.

For further information please contact:

Catriona Davis

Senior Environmental Health Officer

Tel 028 79397979 or c.davis@magherafelt.gov.uk

Centra, Magherafelt

Spar Highfield, Magherafelt

Eurospar, Maghera

Centra, Maghera

Toners, Maghera

Centra, Draperstown

Toners, Draperstown