A new café initiative is making it easier for people to make healthier choices when it comes to their food.

Healthy Families Invercargill has teamed with local cafes on the Healthier Choice concept – a simple label system which allows cafes to easily let their customers know which of their foods is a healthier option.

Providing customers with the information on which options are healthier not only makes ordering easier, it also means people can be empowered to make a more nutritious choice.

Healthy Families Invercargill manager Jared Cappie said the Healthier Choice concept would make it easier for people to make healthier choices, but the best part was that it was being done completely in collaboration with cafes.

“It’s such a simple message, but so easy to implement, and it is great that café owners and managers can really take ownership of it all. It’s all about making that healthier choice an easier one for our community.”

The concept has been trialled with 11 cafes so far, and the Healthy Families Invercargill team hope more will join once word gets out about how simple and effective it is.

A competition will also be run on the Healthy Families Invercargill Facebook page – all people need to do is take a selfie of themselves having a Healthier Choice option and post it on the Healthy Families Invercargill Facebook page to go in the draw to win a prize. Two prizes will be awarded each week for four weeks.

“This is really about the community working together to achieve real results. Small changes can influence change at higher level, and steps like the Healthier Choice just make it easier for people to make those changes without really having to even think about it,” Mr Cappie said.

Caption: Healthy Families Invercargill community activator Lauren Richardson shows off one of the Healthier Choice labels. Photo: Healthy Families Invercargill

February 2018