Dudley Food For Health Award

Only a few premises serving food in Dudley borough hold this prestigious award. See a list of premises awarded since January 2008.

Award categories

Bronze - 10 out of 14 actions (see below)
Silver - 12 out of 14 actions (see below)
Gold - 14 out of 14 actions (see below)
Platinum (for schools) - Gold award, plus school food policy, plus ‘Get cooking’ classes
Healthier takeaway - Some healthy options offered, including fruit, salads or vegetables

What are the 14 ‘healthy options’ actions?

The establishment should actively promote healthy eating
Where possible, use cooking methods and ingredients consistent with healthy catering practices
Healthy catering practices should extend to desserts and cakes where appropriate
The health benefits of a range of starchy foods, fruit and vegetables should be promoted
Fruit and vegetables should be available
The use of reduced fat dairy products should be exploited
Unsaturated fats and oils should be used in preference to saturated alternatives
Meat should be lean and poultry skinned prior to cooking wherever possible
A range of healthier drinks should be available
Sauces, dressings and butter should be optional
The use of higher fibre goods should be exploited
Snack foods which are lower in fat, sugar and salt and higher in fibre should be available
Opportunities for contributing to other healthy eating guidelines should be exploited
The menu has been extended in favour of healthier options

How awards are granted

To be eligible, premises must first achieve a scores-on-the doors hygiene rating of at least three stars when they are inspected by Dudley’s environmental health officers. They also need to be making some contribution to recycling materials used in their business (eg bottles, cans, paper etc).

After this, caterers may voluntarily put themselves forward for an inspection by nutritional advisers from Dudley’s Primary Care Trust. This is to see if healthy choices are available and that healthier cooking methods are used where possible (eg: grilling rather than frying).