Creating a policy, procedure or guideline for your health service
Creating a policy, procedure or guideline for your health service
Developing a policy
Developing or updating a healthy eating policy, is an important step in ensuring long-term and sustainable commitment to the Policy directive in your health service.
Health services are required to report if they have a healthy eating policy or procedure as part of Policy directive reporting requirements. This can also include a catering policy, guide or supplement.
Healthy eating policies should refer to providing catering in line with Policy directive requirements with at least 50% GREEN and no RED options available via catering.
This policy, procedure or guideline should:
- Outline the relevant Policy directive requirements – click here to access
- Identify the instances where the Policy directive applies (retail, vending and catering)
- Include what is out of scope of the Policy directive (food brought in from home and patient and residential menus)
- Include dates for review and list the person responsible for maintaining and implementing the policy.
By having a healthy eating policy, procedure or guideline your health service:
- Meets a reporting requirement of the Policy directive
- Demonstrates an ongoing commitment to staff wellbeing by providing healthier food and drink options
- Embeds a healthy eating culture
- Ensures healthy eating is promoted across the whole health service (for example, hospitals, community health, residential aged care and mental health).
Example policies
These examples can be used to assist your health service to create or update Policy directive healthy eating policies.
For more information please phone 1300 22 52 88 or email heas@nutritionaustralia.org.au
Except where otherwise indicated, the images in this document show models and illustrative settings only, and do not necessarily depict actual services, facilities or recipients of services. This document may contain images of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In this document, ‘Aboriginal’ refers to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. ‘Indigenous’ or ‘Koori/Koorie’ is retained when part of the title of a report, program or quotation. Copyright © State of Victoria 2016
Written and reviewed by dietitians and nutritionists at Nutrition Australia, with support from the Victorian Government.
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The Healthy Eating Advisory Service acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we operate. We pay our respects to them, their culture and their Elders past and present.
The Healthy Eating Advisory Service is delivered by experienced nutritionists and dietitians at Nutrition Australia Vic Division, with support from the Victorian Government.
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