Gippsland Lakes Community Health (GLCH) is the first organisation in East Gippsland to be awarded a 'Healthy Eating Workplace' under the State Government’s Achievement Program. It has been a challenging but rewarding process and worthy of celebration – without the cake!
Gippsland Lakes Community Health is a major health service in East Gippsland with 400 employees. Health services and programs are offered across five different locations from Bairnsdale to Nowa Nowa. “We wanted to walk the talk about healthy food and drink by embracing a new food culture within the organisation” explained Kerrilee Kimber, Health Promotion Worker. “We spend a great deal of our time advising clients how to be healthier and this made us look at our own behaviors around catering and access to healthy food in the workplace”.
By using the Achievement Program process and the tools provided by the Healthy Eating Advisory Service (HEAS), GLCH has completely altered the food that staff and clients are served in meetings and during programs. Even the board members have led the way with a revamped monthly dinner that no longer contains fatty fried foods or cake.
Local catering suppliers and cafes have supported our decision to change by developing tasty food options including sugar free deserts. Working together we tweaked some of the old favorites, like Sausage Rolls, using the online FoodChecker tool on the HEAS website. By changing a few ingredients, we created a healthier version of the sausage roll and changed its rating from a 'Red' to 'Amber' food.
The traffic light system is a simple one for staff and clients to understand visually and has helped us explain what foods we need to be conscious of eating less of and which ones to eat in abundance.
We encourage all organisations to have a good look at their own food culture and start making small changes for better health for everyone.
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