The Healthy Borough Programme hosts healthier frying workshop for restaurants

The Healthy Borough Programme hosted a free healthier frying workshop for café, restaurant and takeaway owners in Tower Hamlets on Monday (28 June) in a bid to tackle obesity.

Outlets that attended the workshop included Eastern Tandoori, Burdett Road, Tandoori Hut, Old Spitalfields Market, Sing Do, East India Dock Road, and Real Taste, East India Dock Road.

Altan Ahmet, principal environmental health officer, Tower Hamlets Council, said: "With more people eating out we want to ensure people can enjoy healthier food. We already have more than 50 food businesses that have applied to be part of the Food for Health Award programme and we want to encourage more to get onboard. 

"We're the only borough in the country offering the healthier frying workshops and we want as many food businesses in Tower Hamlets to take part. For dates of the next workshops business owners can call me on 020 7364 0332."

During the workshop cooks and caterers learnt the importance of using oils such as rapeseed, corn and sunflower oil. 

They also discovered the benefits of frying thicker chips – so they absorb less oil, and were told how grilling and baking food such as burgers, vegeburgers, sausages, fish, and chicken can significantly reduce the amount of fat contained in food. 

Bill Crook from the National Federation of Fish Friers who presented the workshop, added:  "Tower Hamlets is a forward thinking council. By offering food businesses the opportunity to attend these workshops business owners know the healthier oils to use, the public get healthier options when they eat out and the quality of the local takeaway food market is improved. "

Tower Hamlets Council also ran a free nutrition workshop this week (29 June) which focused on the facts about nutrition and the best ways to prepare and cook food so nutrients are retained.

The workshops are part of the Food for Health Award scheme that rewards Tower Hamlets food businesses that offer healthier options on their menu. There are three categories in the Food for Health Awards - gold, silver and bronze.

Words: Maria Bracken

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