Policy directive: Reporting against the drinks targets
A practical guide to assessing your retail and vending drink provision.
The Healthy choices: policy directive for Victorian public health services requires that all Victorian public health services have no RED drinks available or promoted to staff and visitors. As part of ongoing reporting requirements, health services will be required to demonstrate they have at least 50% GREEN drinks and no more than 20% AMBER drinks containing artificial sweetener in all vending, in-house managed retail food outlets and all staff/event catering. [1] FoodChecker must be used to assess your retail and vending drinks provision. FoodChecker assessments form part of your Policy directive reporting to the Department of Health.
In-house managed retail outlets
In-house managed retail outlets are cafes and kiosks run by the health service that sell or provide food and drinks to staff and visitors.
Drinks include house made drinks (e.g. smoothies, juices) and those available in fridges or behind the counter (e.g. cans, bottles).
| Examples | What to assess (using Foodchecker) |
|---|---|
| In-house managed retail outlets | Cafes, kiosks, food carts Assess all drinks sold by in-house managed retail outlets - cafes, kiosks, food carts. This includes drinks sold via volunteer or auxiliary groups. Health services should select one day when all fridges are fully stocked and assess their drink offering in FoodChecker. |
| In-house managed retail outlets | Drinks fridges Your health service may have multiple drink fridges with varying layouts, or multiple drink fridges with identical layouts. If your health service has: - one drinks fridge, then submit one assessment in FoodChecker - multiple drink fridges with identical layouts, then complete one assessment in FoodChecker - multiple drink fridges with varying layouts, then submit one assessment for each different drink fridge layout in FoodChecker |
| Catering | Drinks available on catering menus This includes drinks provided: - at meetings/training - at events/celebrations - at client programs run by the health service - for staff gifts/rewards/incentives - via food vans/trucks (providing free food to staff at an event/celebration Catering menus can be assessed in FoodChecker, however, a FoodChecker assessment for catering is not required for Department of Health reporting." |
| Catering | Drinks available to staff and visitors from the in-patient/residential menu Assess in FoodChecker one day of drinks provided through the inpatient/residential menu. |
| Vending machines | Vending machines Your health service may have multiple vending machines with varying layouts, or you may have multiple vending machines with identical layouts. If your health service has: - one vending machine, then submit one FoodChecker assessment - multiple vending machines with identical layouts, then submit one FoodChecker assessment per layout (you will nominate in FoodChecker how many machines your assessment applies to) - multiple vending machines with different layouts, then submit one FoodChecker assessment per layout. Assess your vending machines when fully stocked, do not assess the planogram provided by your supplier. |
| Drinks vending machines One FoodChecker assessment per vending machine layout. |
|
| Mixed vending machines (food and drinks) One FoodChecker assessment per vending machine. Only food and drinks are considered in a vending machine. Non-food items are excluded from total count of available food and drink spaces in the machine |
What does not need to be submitted to FoodChecker?
The following drink facilities provided by the health service do not need to be assessed in FoodChecker or submitted in the reporting tool:
- Stand-alone water dispensaries
- Hot drink vending self-serve machines (tea, coffee and hot chocolate)
- Tea/coffee available in staff rooms.
Whilst it is not a policy requirement, Victorian public health services are strongly encouraged to implement the Healthy choices: policy directive for health services across all of their retail food outlets – including those that are commercially managed.
FoodChecker can be used to assess your drink provision against the policy or the Healthy Choices guidelines.
For more information please phone 1300 22 52 88 or email heas@nnf.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 National Nutrition Foundation, with support from the Victorian Government.
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The Healthy Eating Advisory Service is delivered by experienced nutritionists and dietitians at National Nutrition Foundation, with support from the Victorian Government.
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