From Cold Calls to Community Impact

Healthy food is a powerful prevention tool, and because we spend so much of our day on the job, the workplace is an ideal setting for offering healthier choices. Yet many workplaces struggle to find caterers that meet nutrition, and sustainability goals.

The Catering for Good Directory closes that gap by spotlighting Victorian commercial businesses, social enterprises, local cafés and Indigenous-owned businesses that champion healthy menus, responsible sourcing and social equity.

Over the past 18 months, the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute has partnered with the Catering for Good Directory. We reached out to more than 50 caterers. We found that some caterers wanted greater market visibility while others wanted to showcase native ingredients or celebrate cultural recipes. We worked with these partners to address these needs and welcomed them into the Directory.

From a health promotion perspective, three lessons stood out for us:

• Engage the leadership (owner or head-chef) early: they help us to better understand the specific needs of the business.
• Use local health promotion networks for warm introductions and to learn more about caterer needs.
• Offer tailored partner-specific support to each caterer: some may only need menu assessment done, while some others may need end-to-end assistance.

So far, seven caterers have completed the onboarding journey with our hands-on guidance, and the pipeline of interested businesses grows every month. Each new listing expands the Directory’s range of nutritious, sustainably sourced menus, helping workplaces to choose food that nourishes people, community and planet-one bite and one partnership at a time.

Explore and share the Directory to keep the momentum building. For support with menu assessment or caterer onboarding reach out to education@baker.edu.au

For further information, email prevention@health.vic.gov.au