Victorians love their sport and leisure activities! Many of us are regularly involved either as participants, spectators or volunteers. We know that, together with physical activity, healthy eating is important to keep us healthy and to help our children grow and develop. 

Places like sport and recreation centres and parks are common attractions for people who are looking for a more active lifestyle. By supporting healthy eating in your organisation, you can:

• drive change and be a leader for healthy eating in your industry
• provide consistent messages about healthy eating and active lifestyles in the community
• create a family-friendly environment that attracts more visitors

The Victorian Government’s Healthy choices: policy guidelines for sport and recreation centres and Healthy choices: policy guidelines for parks can help you make sure that healthy foods and drinks are offered across your organisation through:

• onsite cafés, canteens or kiosks
• mobile food vendors or coffee carts
• vending machines
• catering during functions and events
• fundraising activities.

Just getting started? 

If your organisation is looking to make changes to the food and drinks offered we recommend:

• starting with these simple and achievable actions that will step you towards meeting the Healthy Choices guidelines.
• downloading our sample menu as a guide to what a Healthy Choices menu could look like for your cafe, kiosk or canteen.

Other resources:

1. Sport and Recreation Victoria Implementation Template: Sport and Recreation Victoria has developed an implementation plan template for councils that are required to implement Healthy Choices in sport and recreation facilities as part of their state government funding agreements. But this resource is useful for any sport and recreation facility to take a whole-of-organisation approach to implementing the Healthy Choices guidelines.
2. Reducing Sugary Drinks Availability in Sport and Recreation Centres - webinar
   Presenters discuss ways sport and recreational environments can implement or maintain changes they have made to reduce sugary drink availability. The presentation celebrates the success of thriving organisations and offers practical tips and strategies for sport and recreational groups looking to reduce the availability of sugary drinks.
3. Working with caterers, vending suppliers and food outlets
   The following resources can help you when making changes to your food services
   Working with food outlets
   Working with caterers
   Working with vending suppliers

What about sports clubs?Sports clubs have an important role in encouraging healthy eating. Together with physical activity, healthy eating reinforces good health for individuals and the community. If your club is looking to make healthy changes to the foods and drinks offered we encourage you to register with Vic Kids Eat Well – an exciting new incentivised initiative available to support your service in providing healthier food drinks to the children in your care.

The Southern Melbourne Primary Care Partnership's Healthy Club Canteens Toolkit is a useful resource for sports clubs wanting to provide healthy eating options for members and visitors.