Health Food Promotion (Hansard, 3 April 2000)

§ Ms Stuart

Although this Department cannot force local authorities to promote healthy food policies, there are a number of initiatives that we are undertaking with the co-operation of these agencies as part of our strategy for combating heart disease, stroke and cancer. For example, the Heartbeat Award Scheme, which promotes healthy eating in restaurants, cafés and other catering establishments, has been running for a decade with the support of local and health authorities. Furthermore, the recently published National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease set out several health milestones, one of which is the delivery by April 2001, of a wide-ranging healthy eating promotion in conjunction with local authorities. Co-operation also extends to local education authorities as part of the Department of Health and Department for Employment and Education-funded Healthy Schools Programme. This initiative requires schools to adopt consistent messages about healthy eating in order to meet the Healthy Schools Standard.