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Sugar consumption averted through healthier options at Latrobe Leisure centres

Visitors to Latrobe Leisure centres have avoided consuming almost 100 kilograms of sugar over a three-month period following a decision to introduce more healthy choices to the on-site cafés and kiosks.

By Portal Admin - 4th August 2016 - Back to News

Visitors to Latrobe Leisure centres have avoided consuming almost 100 kilograms of sugar over a three-month period following a decision to introduce more healthy choices to the on-site cafés and kiosks.

This was achieved through reducing the size of sugar-sweetened soft drinks sold at sites from January to March 2016, compared to the sales of the beverages in the same period last year.

The ‘Make a Healthier Choice’ initiative, delivered by Latrobe City and Latrobe Community Health Service, has seen the implementation of a traffic light system at leisure sites for all food and drink items. Healthy food options are rated green, while ‘sometimes’ foods are red.

Latrobe City Council’s mayor, Councillor Michael Rossiter, said that reducing the size of sugary drink options was just one of the actions that formed part of a broader initiative to introduce healthier options to leisure sites.

"The menu changes have seen the number of green items increase by 19% while the number of red items has decreased by 14%. We’ve also observed increased sales of green items, up by 4%, and an encouraging drop in the sale of red items, down by 7%.

"People do choose healthier food options if they can. Health messages are getting through and that people are becoming more aware of what they choose to consume," Cr Rossiter said.

Ben Leigh, CEO, Latrobe Community Health Service, said consuming sugary drinks regularly could lead to many preventable health problems, including tooth decay, cavities, diabetes and weight gain.

"This small change in habits as a consequence of these menu changes at Latrobe Leisure sites equates to 251 teaspoons of sugar saved every day. A 600ml bottle of soft drink contains 16 teaspoons of sugar and about 1,000 unnecessary kilo joules.

"We know that more than 22% of Latrobe City residents consume soft drink daily. Advice is that people should choose to drink water or low-fat milk instead. But it’s not just soft drink that’s the culprit - fruit juice and sports drinks can also contain a lot of sugar.

"We are very pleased with the results of this initiative, which proves that making small changes can support individuals to make healthier choices," Mr Leigh concluded.

Media Enquiries:

For general enquiries, contact Latrobe City Council on 1300 367 700.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: support@gippsland.com

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