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Following is a question by the Hon Frederick Fung kin-kee and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (November 12)
Question:
Earlier this year, the Department of Health launched in full scale the "EatSmart@restaurant.hk" campaign, under which participating restaurants have promised to provide EatSmart Dishes every day, including "Dish with more Fruit and Vegetables" (which means that either fruit and vegetables are the sole ingredients, or their quantity is at least twice as much the amount of meat in the dish) and "3 Less Dish" (which means that the dish has less fat or oil, salt and sugar). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
(a) it has conducted a survey to gauge public response to the campaign, including the percentage of diners in these restaurants choosing EatSmart Dishes; if it has, of the survey results; if not, the reasons for that;
(b) it has uncovered cases of participating restaurants not keeping the above promise, and what measures are in place to monitor whether these restaurants provide EatSmart Dishes; and
(c) it will make reference to the recent efforts of New York City in the United States to promote healthier eating habits and encourage participating restaurants to list the caloric content of the dishes on the menu for reference of diners when choosing their dishes?
Reply:
President,
The Department of Health (DH) launched a pilot run of the "EatSmart@restaurant.hk" Campaign in July 2007 to encourage and assist restaurants in providing dishes with more fruit and vegetables and less oil, salt and sugar on their menus, so as to allow more healthy food choices for the general public when eating out. My replies to the three parts of the question are as follows -
(a) The DH conducted a random survey on participating restaurants of the pilot project and interviewed their customers and staff. Findings of the survey indicated that 48% of the interviewed customers were aware of the "EatSmart restaurants" and "EatSmart dishes"; 24% had ordered "EatSmart dishes"; 99% supported the provision of healthier dishes by restaurants and 75% indicated that they would patronise the restaurants again because of the healthy dishes provided.
(b) In the light of the experience gained from the pilot project, the DH officially rolled out the "EatSmart@restaurant.hk" Campaign in April 2008. Participating restaurants are required to nominate staff to attend training to learn the requirements of the Campaign and master the techniques and tips of healthy cooking. Upon completion of the training, trainees have to pass an assessment on nutritional knowledge and menu design before their restaurants are eligible to take part in the Campaign. Participating restaurants are also required to follow the DH's instructions by making available at least five "EatSmart dishes" every day, including those with "More Fruit and Vegetables"(*1) and "3 Less"(*2); indicating clearly "EatSmart Dish" icons on menus; and displaying the "EatSmart" Campaign decal at prominent locations of the restaurants and placing customer opinion forms.
The DH conducts visits to participating restaurants to ascertain their compliance with the requirements of the Campaign. Annual renewal of enrolment is required to ensure that participating restaurants have fulfilled the above basic requirements. They will be disqualified as an "EatSmart Restaurant" if they fail to meet the specified requirements of the Campaign without reasonable explanations.
Since the official launch of the "EatSmart@restaurant.hk" Campaign, the DH has paid over 90 visits and found that some restaurants failed to fully comply with the requirements of the Campaign. The DH has urged the restaurants concerned to take follow up action, and the restaurants have subsequently taken the necessary measures.
(c) As recommended by the World Health Organisation, a balanced diet includes increased consumption of fruit and vegetables; limited intake of fats, sugar and salt (sodium); and attaining energy balance and a healthy body weight. Since the amount of energy contained in a dish is only one kind of nutritional information among others, the mere provision of food energy figures cannot give comprehensive nutritional information to the general public. The DH will continue to disseminate the message of healthy eating to the public through various channels and encourage the industry to create a favourable environment for promoting balanced diet in the community.
Notes:
(*1) Dishes of "More Fruit and Vegetables" are dishes that have only vegetables and fruit as ingredients or where portions of vegetables and fruit are more than twice of that of meat.
(*2) Dishes of "3 Less" are dishes that are cooked or prepared with less fat or oil, salt and sugar.
Ends/Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Issued at HKT 12:23
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