With obesity on the rise in the UK as a result of people exercising less and eating out more, Frank Post of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) makes the point that the catering and hospitality sectors are ideally placed and have a collective corporate social responsibility to fight the war on fat by providing nutritional training to staff working with food.
Obesity still rising
Despite extensive Government marketing of the Change4Life scheme since 2009, which has been a long and difficult battle, statistics released in 2014 by the Government’s Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) show that obesity is still rising. Between 1993 and 2012, the proportion of obese adults increased from 57.6% to 66.6% in men and 48.6% to 57.2% in women. All the figures are going in the wrong direction.
Sedentary lifestyles
It has been well-documented and accepted that increased physical activity leads to a healthier lifestyle and reduces obesity levels, but recent findings by the HSCIC show that large proportions of adults are leading sedentary lifestyles. With guidelines suggesting that adults should achieve 150 minutes per week of moderate activity, 66% of men and 56% of women met the guidelines in findings from 2012. The findings also showed that those considered to be overweight were spending on average 20 minutes more time in a sedentary state than those considered to be of a healthy weight.
Growing impact of working conditions
Although obesity is known to be directly affected by levels of exercise and the amount we eat, changes to working conditions are also having a growing impact. With longer working hours forcing many to eat on the go, more meals are being prepared outside the home such as in work canteens, restaurants, pubs etc. Dashboard dining is no longer the preserve of truckers, sales reps and home helps.
Impact of catered food
In 2013, our spending on catered food was at its highest since 2005 according to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), with catered food accounting for £84 billion worth of consumer expenditure. This in turn means that consumers are eating an increasingly richer diet that is not conducive to discouraging the rise in obesity.
Healthier options and nutrition training
Consumers’ desire to eat out is not diminishing and with that the food industry recognises the need to provide healthier options to combat obesity. Food manufacturers and suppliers are stepping up to the plate and are now offering low fat, reduced sugar alternatives.
To fuel the trend, catering and hospitality industry leaders are beginning to provide nutrition training to staff who are on the frontline preparing recipes, menus and serving hungry customers.
At the CIEH, we see the food industry is keen to take up the challenge of providing healthy food by reducing sugar and displaying calories on everything from fast to frozen food. The industry is also training staff in order to raise standards and provide a better and healthier service to customers.
Training from the CIEH
The CIEH’s courses include: a Level 2 qualification in healthier food and special diets which is specifically aimed at the catering industry; Levels 1 to 4 qualifications in a variety of food safety aspects; and a Level 1 award in basic nutrition, details for all of which can be found on the CIEH website.
By providing more trained professionals with relevant food industry qualifications, food outlets will be better informed to serve the public and fight the war on obesity.
About the CIEH
The CIEH is the professional voice for environmental health representing over 10,000 members working in the public, private and non-profit sectors. It ensures the highest standards of professional competence in its members, in the belief that through environmental health action people’s health can be improved
The CIEH is a leading provider of regulated qualifications and operates in over 50 countries, assisting employers to comply with legal requirements and best practice while offering employees fit for purpose training. The portfolio includes: Food Safety, Health and Safety, Fire Safety, First Aid, Licensing, Environmental Protection, Education and Training.
Environmental health has an important and unique contribution to make to improving public health and reducing health inequalities
The CIEH campaigns to ensure that government policy addresses the needs of communities and business in achieving and maintaining improvements to health and health protection
For more information click here
Follow the CIEH on Twitter @The_CIEH
Restaurant News is Sponsored by Tramontina Steak Knives, available from Artis
The post Nutritional training to help hospitality and catering join the war on obesity appeared first on Hospitality & Catering News.