Two Sirona-run care homes have struck gold with their efforts to make eating healthily easier for residents.
Combe Lea in Midsomer Norton and Charlton House in Keynsham have each won a Gold Eat Out Eat Well Award.
The award is for caterers that take steps to help their customers, residents or guests make healthier choices when it comes to their meals, through types of food on offer, cooking methods and promoting those options to customers.
There are three levels of award – gold, silver and bronze – and award-holders across Bath and North East Somerset include takeaways, restaurants, sandwich bars, hospital trusts and colleges.
Julie Sharma, business development lead, said: “We are delighted to achieve this award at gold level. We believe in the importance of getting every aspect of a client’s care right first time.
“This award confirms that we are providing high quality healthy food in our community resource centres at Coombe Lea and Charlton House. We are working closely with the assessor in our third community resource centre in Bath, Cleeve Court, Twerton and hope to soon achieve gold there also.”
Deborah Lear, Senior Environmental Health Officer, at Bath & North East Somerset Council who carried out the assessments said: “This gold award shows that Sirona Care and Health provide an excellent choice of healthy food for their clients. We would encourage all food businesses to sign up for this free award.
“It is an opportunity to raise the profile of your business in the local community and attract new custom by demonstrating that you are keeping up to date with consumer demand for safe and healthy food.”
Louise Lees, health improvement specialist at Sirona, said: “We are working closely with the Council to ensure this award is promoted to all our clients who access our healthy lifestyle services.
“With over 8,000 calls to our Healthy Lifestyle Service since it launched in October 2011, this is a large number of people across Bath and North East Somerset interested in pursuing a healthier lifestyle.’
“Clients who access our free weight management services often complain that it can be hard to find healthier options when they eat out. This award scheme gives confidence to people who are watching their weight or who are dining out with someone who is, to be able to enjoy a meal out without having to worry about trying to find something healthy on the menu. ‘
“We also work with families delivering cookery courses. Again this award helps if you have children and want to eat in places where you can be confident that there will be healthier options available as part of a children’s menu, or an appropriately priced and portioned version of an adult’s healthier option.”
Award-holders are listed on the Council’s website and can display the Eat Out Eat Well logo – an apple and heart – at their premises.
To find out more about the awards and how to sign up, call Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Public Protection team on 01225 396759 or visit their website www.bathnes.gov.uk/eatouteatwell or alternatively call Louise at The Healthy Lifestyle Service today on 01225 831852.
