Pub chains to work with FSA on healthy eating

Related tags Food standards agency Nutrition

Six of the biggest managed pub operators in the UK have made a new pledge to work with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to help people eat more...

Six of the biggest managed pub operators in the UK have made a new pledge to work with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to help people eat more healthily outside the home.

JD Wetherspoon, Greene King Pub Company, Marston's Inns & Taverns, Mitchells & Butlers, the Spirit Group and Whitbread have all made the commitment to support the FSA's efforts to reduce salt and saturated fat intakes, and wider government work to tackle obesity.

The pub companies have each made different commitments to the cause, with their pledges including:

* working with suppliers to reduce salt and saturated fat levels, and remove trans fats in best-selling products

* bringing together new teams, and launching new projects to develop long-term plans for making their menus healthier

* launching training for kitchen and serving staff on nutrition and healthy cooking practices

* offering more menu choice - with new healthier options, a wider range of alternatives to chips, increasing the amount of vegetables served with meals, reducing the number of fried dishes on the menu, and even pricing healthy options below their other meals

* swapping sauces, dressings and frying oils for alternatives that are lower in saturated fat

* making nutritional information more readily available to customers - in some cases gathering information for the first time.

Each company has agreed to provide a six month update to the FSA on the progress of this work.

Rosemary Hignett, head of nutrition at the Food Standards Agency, said: "Pubs have always been popular places for couples and families to eat out together. We're delighted that these pubs have decided to work alongside us, because it shows that caterers can make some really positive changes without taking the pleasure out of a special occasion.

"These new commitments build on a lot of good work that has been under way for some time, and we are sure that other pub restaurant chains will see what is happening and want to get involved too."

Related topics Healthy options

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