Mangere eateries encouraged to offer healthy food

By ANGELA GREGORY

By hook or by crook health authorities will try to get Mangere residents to eat better.

The Mangere Healthy Kai programme will be launched tomorrow by Manukau mayor Sir Barry Curtis to point locals towards healthy local eateries.

The programme, developed by Auckland Regional Public Health, would provide complying food sellers with a hook logo to highlight they provided healthy menu options.

Public health service spokeswoman Christine Cook said 12 retailers already selling ready-to-eat food that met the criteria would display the colourful signs promoting their healthy kai items.

Stir-fries had been analysed to check fat content and ensure they came in with an acceptable average 6 per cent fat.

With the line "look for the hook" it is hoped the customers will seek out and then get hooked on healthy meals.

The aim was to have a range of lower-fat, nutrient-rich foods available and increase the quantities sold as shoppers switched their purchases away from higher-fat items.

Other retailers would be able to join in if they amended their range of food to include items that complied with Mangere Healthy Kai criteria.