§ Mr. WinnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to encourage employers to provide low-fat meals for employees in order to reduce heart disease. [94931]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 25 October 1999]: We have funded, through our food and nutrition contract with the Health Education Authority, a variety of projects aimed at providing healthy eating choices in the workplace. The Heartbeat Award for example, encourages workplace caterers to work with local health professionals to help reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease by providing people with access to healthier food choices. Furthermore, in July this year, a video resource called "Tipping the Balance" was launched to show workplace caterers how they can make small but significant changes to their customers' favourite dishes without affecting their popularity. We are also funding a workplace catering pack, which is currently being redeveloped and will become available after pre testing in spring next year. The aim of these measures is to improve the balance of the ingredients used in dishes, and to encourage people to eat less fat and more cereals, fruit and vegetables.