FOOD businesses in Sunderland have thrown their support behind a new initiative aimed at offering healthier menu choices.
Healthy Plates is a joint project between Sunderland City Council and Sunderland’s BIDs – which includes the City Centre BID and the Seafront BID -to explore ways in which dishes can be made healthier without compromising on taste.
And already more than a dozen of the city’s hotels, restaurants, cafés and bars have signed up to take part.
They are now in the process of identifying the numerous ways in which dishes can be adapted – from altering cooking methods and swapping ingredients to evaluating portion size – to provide a healthier offer to customers when dining out.
Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, the project has been designed to work with businesses, recognising the realities of running a kitchen and serving a wide range of customers.
Holiday Inn Sunderland, Port of Call, Spent Grain, Cafe Floriana, The Good Apple Café and Mexico 70 are among the early adopters of the scheme.
And they are joined by Sea Change, Brew and Bake, Boba Cat Kitchen, Ruhe, SIX at Pier Point, Sana Soul Food and YOLO Coffee & Kitchen.
They are now collaborating to find innovative ways of using imagery, language and framing across menus, promotion and marketing to offer a range of healthier choices.
The initiative will be promoted through a range of activities, including a planned Restaurant Week style event, which will give residents the chance to discover participating venues and see how healthier options can be part of everyday eating out.
Sam Johnston of coffee shop Boba Cat Kitchen at High Street West said that: “taking part in the Healthy Plates initiative feels like a positive step for our business and for the city.”
“ We’re excited to explore new ideas with our customers and to show that great food and healthier choices can go hand in hand,” she said.
“ Working alongside our customers and other local businesses makes this feel like something we’re building together, and the more businesses that get involved, the stronger the impact we can have in creating a healthier Sunderland.”
Councillor Kelly Chequer, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Safer Communities at Sunderland City Council, added: “Having access to healthy, nutritious food is one of the key building blocks of health and increasing the availability of healthy food is good news for everyone.
“It’s great to see so many of our fantastic restaurants, cafés, bars and hotels signing up to offer more healthy menus.”
Roberta Redecke, Head of Business Services at Sunderland’s BIDs added that: “the ambition is to scale up the approach so that all food businesses can support this initiative in some way, and we can signpost customers to try something new.”
“By working collaboratively with businesses, we can help make healthier choices more visible, more appealing and part of everyday eating across Sunderland,” she said.
Sunderland food businesses that want to help shape healthier food environments in the city are invited to register their interest by emailing victoria@sunderlandbid.co.uk
More information is available at https://www.linksforlifesunderland.co.uk/healthy-plates/