Counting the calories

Compass Group UK & Ireland has rolled out nutritional information for its promotional range of meals across more than 1,300 workplaces as part of the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) healthy eating in the workplace program.

The information provided exceeds the FSA's requirements for food labelling as it shows calories, salt, sugar, fat and saturates in both the traffic light and GDA percentage formats.

Meals in the Compass Group hot food range include chilli con carne, vegetable lasagne, jerk fish with wild rice and beef casserole. Currently, 300 recipes have been nutritionally analysed and this will increase to 800 recipes by the end of May.

Supporting the food labelling program is a Compass Group initiative, Balanced Choices, which includes training programs, a detailed menu bank of healthy recipes and a range of point-of-sale materials. More than 800 chefs and caterers have participated in the nutritional training course.

The group has also developed its own range of sandwiches and other bakery products with levels of saturated fat and salt that meet the FSA's targets. By working with its suppliers, Compass Group reduced the amount of saturated fats in its own label cooking sauces by 80%, and has also sourced a new cooking oil which is virtually free of trans fatty acids.

Allan Edwards, corporate affairs and corporate responsibility director for Compass Group UK & Ireland, said: "Health, good nutrition and encouraging a balanced approach to eating are at the heart of our business.

"Compass Group is leading the way in the food service sector in understanding the needs of consumers and being at the forefront of providing nutritional information. Our achievements demonstrate our commitment to improving our customer's diet and health by making it easier for them to make healthy choices."

Words: Maria Bracken

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