Policy directive food and drink targets - assessing and reporting

Key topics on this page:

  1. Who does the policy apply to?
  2. The targets
  3. Getting ready to report in 2023
  4. FoodChecker - conducting your assessments
  5. Reporting to the Department of Health
  6. Support in assessing your food and drinks

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Who does the Policy directive apply to?

The Policy directive applies to all sites and facilities across public health services including, but not limited to:

  • hospitals
  • public sector residential aged care services (PSRACS)
  • integrated community health services

The Policy directive applies to the following food services within public health services: 

  • in-house managed retail food outlets, including items purchased by staff and visitors from patient/resident menus
  • all vending machines (managed in-house and privately)
  • all catering* provided to visitors and staff
     

The targets

Drinks

Food

Vending and in-house retail^ food outlets: 

 

No RED drinks to be available or promoted/advertised.

 

At least 50% GREEN drinks, and no more than 20% drinks containing artificial or intense sweeteners (classified AMBER) are available.  

 

In-house managed retail outlets^ and patient/resident menus: 

 

At least 50% GREEN foods and no more than 20% RED foods are available. No RED foods to be promoted/advertised. 

 

Vending:

 

Food only vending machines:

 

At least 50% GREEN foods and no more than 20% RED foods are available

 

Combination food and drink vending machines:

  • at least 50% GREEN items (combination of foods and drinks)
  • no more than 20% AMBER artificially sweetened drinks and
  • no more than 20% RED foods are available (no RED drinks allowed).
  • no RED foods to be promoted/advertised

Catering: 

 

No RED drinks are provided (with majority of options to be GREEN). 

Catering:

 

No RED foods are provided (with majority of options to be GREEN). 

 

Video one: Understanding the drinks targets

 

Watch this space - 'Understanding the food targets' video COMING SOON

 

Getting ready to report in 2023

In 2023 health services will be reporting on both food and drinks. Health services will submit the following to the Progress Tracker reporting tool:

  • FoodChecker assessment report/s for their food provision (in-house managed retail outlets and vending)
  • An update for their 2022 FoodChecker assessment report/s reflecting their drinks provision (in-house managed food outlets and vending machines)

Food

Now

 

Start using FoodChecker to assess your food provision and make the recommended changes to align with the Policy directive.

 

 

Complete an assessment/s for each internally managed retail food outlet, items purchased by staff and visitors from patient/resident menus and each vending machine layout.

 

TIP: remember to use the Policy directive assessment function in FoodChecker.

 

                    

From 1 September 2023

 

Nominate the relevant FoodChecker assessment/s to the Progress Tracker reporting tool and complete the accompanying questions.

Drinks

Now

 

Continue using FoodChecker to assess your drink provision.

 

Update your 2022 FoodChecker assessments with any changes to drinks provision for your in-house retail food outlets and/or vending machines.

 

Conduct new FoodChecker assessments for any new drink offerings in vending or in-house retail food outlets.

 

TIP: remember to use the Policy directive assessment function in FoodChecker.

 

                    

From 1 September 2023

 

Add updated relevant FoodChecker assessment/s to the Progress Tracker reporting tool and complete accompanying questions

 

FoodChecker – conducting your assessments

Click here to access FoodChecker.

Key tips

The new FoodChecker Policy directive assessment function allows you to assess your internally managed retail food outlets, vending machines and catering against the Policy directive targets. The assessment will state if you meet each of the following targets individually:

  • Drinks % targets
  • Food % targets
  • No RED drinks promotion
  • No RED food promotion
For all assessments:

Ensure FoodChecker assessments have been completed within the last 6 months.
Only the Food Checker assessment you choose to submit is visible to the Department of Health

Previous assessments conducted using the FoodChecker Policy directive assessment function will be able to be copied and edited (changes can be made if required) and then submitted.

If your assessment was previously conducted in the FoodChecker Healthy Choices assessment function it will need to be redone in the FoodChecker Policy directive flow.
You can do as many assessments as you want, at any time
In-house retail or patient/resident menus available to staff or visitors:

Each of your in-house managed retail outlets and patient/resident menus available to staff or visitors needs to be assessed in FoodChecker (using the Policy directive flow).

Your assessment should include all items available for lunch and snacks throughout the day.

Breakfast and dinner do not need to be submitted for Policy directive reporting. However, you should still ensure any breakfast and dinner food/drink provision is in accordance with the Healthy Choices Policy directive.
Use this approach if your retail outlet or patient/resident menu offers 10 or fewer items over lunch and snacks: Use this approach if your retail outlet or patient/resident menu offers more than 10 items over lunch and snacks:
  • Assess five days your menu in FoodChecker
  • All five days of your menu assessment should be done in the one FoodChecker assessment.
  • If you have items that appear every day on your menu, enter those items into FoodChecker once for every day they are provided. For example, if you have cheese and crackers on the menu every day, enter this item into the assessment five times.
  • Assess three days of your menu in FoodChecker
  • Each day of your menu assessment should be done in a separate FoodChecker assessment. E.g. you will submit three separate FoodChecker assessments for your Policy directive reporting.
  • If you have similar items available every day, complete one day menu assessment and use the ‘copy and edit’ function to copy that assessment, rename it to day two, and make the changes so the menu reflects day two. Tip: this will save time if you offer the same snacks every day, and only change your hot meal options.
Assessing externally managed retail outlets:
Whilst optional, you are strongly encouraged to assess food and drinks provision in your commercially managed retail outlets against the Policy directive and submit this as part of 2023 Department of Health reporting. This will help achieve and monitor progress towards the Victorian Cancer Plan 2020-24 target [1].
Assessing food only and combination vending machines:
You only need one assessment per vending machine layout. (i.e., if you have three vending machines with identical layouts [when fully stocked] you only need one assessment for that layout, not three different assessments). You will be able to identify that this one assessment is stocked across three vending machines when reporting.
Assess vending machines when they are fully stocked. Do not assess the planogram provided by your supplier as it can be different to what is actually in the machine.

You need to include both foods and drinks in combination machine assessments. You can add food to your previous drinks FoodChecker assessments for combination machines.
You can search and assess drinks to find out if they contain artificial sweetener.
Assessing catering:
You should assess staff and event catering in order to plan and implement your healthy catering policy, BUT you will not need to submit catering assessments in the 2022 report. Questions will be asked about your organisation’s healthy catering policy/processes.

 

Reporting to the Department of Health

Progress Tracker is the online reporting tool where each health service will report their progress towards meeting the Healthy Choices: policy directive targets. Click here to access.

Please note that only the FoodChecker assessment you choose to submit in this online portal will be visible to the Department of Health.

 

Support in assessing your food and drinks

We are here to support you in assessing your drinks against the Policy directive targets. You can contact one of our dedicated Nutrition Policy Advisors for information and advice specific to your service’s needs.

Brigitte Annois
Nutrition Policy Advisor APD
Ph: 8341 5808
E: bannois@nutritionaustralia.org.au		 Hannah O'Connell
Nutrition Policy Advisor
Ph: 8341 5821
E: hoconnell@nutritionaustralia.org.au

In addition, we have compiled the following resources:

  • frequently asked questions about the Policy directive drinks targets, including assessing and reporting requirements - click here.
  • overview of sugary drinks resource - click here
  • healthy vending plan-o-grams in health services resource - click here
  • healthy vending ideas fact sheet - click here
  • drinks reporting checklist - click here
  • drinks reporting - what do I need to report fact sheet - click here

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* Catering applies to staff procuring food and drinks with health service (government funds) for meetings, functions, and events. This includes occasions such as workshops, conferences, community events, launches, celebrations and ceremonies, as well as client or community education, information, or training programs. It also includes food/drinks provided (free) on the ward or in staff rooms/waiting rooms for staff/visitors (e.g. tea/coffee, water, fruit, biscuits, lollies). Whilst not included in the Policy directive, health services are encouraged to promote and communicate their healthy catering policy to any external groups using their facilities, for example community support groups.

^You may choose to assess commercially managed retail food outlets against the Policy directive. While we encourage such assessments (which will help you meet the Cancer Plan 2020-24 target1), reporting on these outlets is optional.

1The Victorian Cancer Plan 2020-2024 target: “at least 80 per cent of hospitals and health services’ retail outlets and vending machines to meet the recommended Victorian Government food and nutrition standards (Healthy choices) by 2024.”

 

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