Community Dietitians support and encourage workplaces and their caterers to adopt a 'whole workplace' approach to healthier eating. Caterers are encouraged to provide and promote healthy food choices on their menus and provide a healthy eating environment. As more and more people are eating outside the home, caterers have an increasing influence on what people eat. Therefore they play a key role in shaping the nations future health.

There are 2 Award Schemes which reward caterers for their effort and commitment in providing healthy food choices within a healthy environment.

For further information contact:

• Pamela Murray (Community Dietitian).

Food Safety Week 7 - 13 June 2010

A briefing pack has been put together by Community Dietitians and has been sent out to over 150 Healthy Working Lives workplaces and community contacts throughout Forth Valley. 
The pack highlights key food hygiene messages, it offers ideas of food activities you could run in your workplace or community group and it has details of where to obtain a range of free resources - leaflets, quizzes, posters, balloons etc. Sample copies of several resources have been enclosed in the pack.

Contact Pamela Murray for more information.

'Eat Smarter to Work Smarter' - How food can help you at work

This factsheet from the Freelance Dietitians Group gives tips and advice about how eating the right foods at work can help boost your energy levels and help you feel better and work better.

National Salt Awareness Week - 2010 - Salt and Your Health

A workplace briefing pack has been put together as part of this year's salt campaign.  The pack has been sent to over 130 Healthy Working Lives workplaces throughout Forth Valley.  It contained details of National Salt Awareness Week and included a range of sample 'Salt' resources which could be used to set up a display or information stand to help raise awareness about the health effects of salt.

• Click here to download a copy of the covering letter which was distributed as part of the pack.
• For more information on National Salt Awareness Week and to learn more about the effects of salt on your health visit the CASH (Consensus Action on Salt and Health) website.
• For more information about salt and how to eat a healthier diet visit Eatwell Salt site.  They also have a range of free salt resources available - leaflets, posters and a quiz..

Workplace Swap and Save Display

This resource box contains a wide range of healthy and unhealthy snack food and drink models.  Sugar and fat cubes have been used in this display to visually illustrate the amount of sugar and fat in everyday snack foods and drinks.  The display highlights how you can swap and save calories, sugar and fat by making healthier snack choices.  This display could be used in a wide range of settings and at various events.

• Available from:  Health Improvement Resources Service (HIRS)
• Resource code: WKH 14/K.

Workplace Desktop and Drawer Snack Display

This display contains a wide range of healthy snacks which could be kept in your desk at work.  The snacks suggested in this display do not have to be refridgerated and could provide ideas for workplace vending machines.  This resource also contains a number of photocopiable handouts on snacking.

• Available from: Health Improvement Resources Service (HIRS)
• Resource code: WKH 12/K.

Eatwell - Activity Floor Mat and Food Models

This resource can be used in a vast number of ways and can be an effective tool to promote healthy eating messages amongst children, teenagers and adults. This pack contains a large plate model floor mat and a number of plastic food models from each of the 5 food groups. There is also an instruction book which gives ideas of a number of activities which could be carried out with different age groups. A fun and interactive teaching resource.

• Available from:  Health Improvement Resources Service (HIRS)
• Resource code(s): NUT 73/K1, NUT 73/K2. 

PDF - 1,035 kb
75 pages

How to run your own workplace weight management programme

This workplace weight management programme has been designed to support workplaces who wish to run a weight management course for their staff. It aims to give those facilitating the course, whether they have a healthcare background or not, the confidence to plan and deliver weight management sessions within their workplace.

The pack provides some basic nutritional information and includes an 8 week session planner, which offers the facilitators of the course a step by step outline for each week of the course.

PDF - 56 kb
2 pages

Promoting Healthy Choices in the Workplace

This document provides some useful ideas on how to promote or market healthy food choices within your workplace.

This website offers advice, information and recommendations for action to the general public, press and dental profession.  There are a wide range of patient information leaflets available to view online or download.  Topics of these leaflets include bad breath, diet, finding a dentist, smoking and oral health, mouth cancer and much more. 
For free expert dental advice call 0845 063 1188 Monday - Friday 9am -5pm.

This section provides information and guidance for caterers, to help them provide healthier and safer food for their customers. It includes advice on healthy catering, the 'Safer food, better business' pack, guidance on the food hygiene legislation and guidance on food allergy and intolerance.

Healthy Living Award

'The Healthyliving Award is a national award for the food service and catering sector in Scotland. Funded by the Scottish Executive, the Healthyliving Award was launched in August 2006 and builds on the experience of the Scottish Healthy Choices Award. It was established to make it easier for people eating out to know where to go for healthier food, and to encourage the food service industry to provide healthier food on their menus. It is open to all workplaces, NHS outlets, further education establishments, family restaurants, sandwich shops and places where people eat regularly across Scotland, with the exception of schools and hospital patient food.'

The Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives

The successful initiatives of Scotland's Health at Work (SHAW) and Safe and Healthy Working (SaHW), have been brought together to form a single new integrated organisation, the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives. This will provide a national focus for taking forward this critically important work. Working to improve the health of working age people in Scotland by ensuring healthier and safer workplaces, promoting healthier lifestyles and developing employability.

Workplace Health

This NHS Choices website offers various pieces of advice and tools from stress tests to advising on how to avoid those mid afternoon energy slumps. Click onto the Good Food section for further information on healthy eating and buying healthier foods or why not try some of the interactive tools such as the 5 A DAY meal planner or the healthy eating self assessment quiz.