Healthy Eating Environments

With poor nutrition being recognized as a significant health threat, the promotion of healthy eating is a priority within our organization. In an effort to lead by example, a regional Healthy Eating Environments Guideline has been developed to support all WRHA sites in creating healthy eating environments for staff, volunteers, students and visitors. The guideline applies to all sites that operate commercial food and/or retail services, including cafeterias, coffee shops, gift shops, vending and staff ordering catering.

The development of the guideline and its associated nutrition standards and procedures follows several years of research and coordination. Extensive consultation was undertaken with numerous WRHA sites and committees, food service contractors, dietitian groups and via an online survey in November 2015 (WRHA staff, volunteers and students). Overall, these consultations demonstrated support for adopting a healthy eating environments initiative within the Region. The guideline also aligns with the Healthy Eating Position Statement.

The guideline will be phased in gradually over a number of years to allow staff and vendors ample time to adjust. The first phase was launched in the first quarter of 2018, and focuses on the promotion of healthy foods and increasing their availability.

For more information, contact [email protected]