The healthyliving award is a national award for the foodservice sector in Scotland where award criteria are based on the general principles of a healthy balanced diet and have been developed to be in keeping with Scottish dietary targets. The Scottish Government recognises that caterers can play an important role in influencing what their customers eat, and it is important to recognise and reward those who are making it easier for their customers to eat more healthily.

Inspire are delighted to hold the Healthy Living Award accreditation for ALL client sites in Scotland. In order to be eligible for the award, we had to ensure we met a number of criteria, chief of which being that at least 50% of our menu has to be considered a healthy option, in terms of both ingredients and preparation methods. In order to be considered healthy, things like levels of fats, oils and salt must be kept to a minimum. Similarly, sugar levels must be kept as low as possible.

To keep in line with the Healthy Living guidelines we also ensure that plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables are ready available on a daily basis, and that our main meals are made up of wholesome starchy foods.

The Healthy Living Award also outlines special criteria in regards to nutrition requirements in children’s food, which is particularly important to us as a number of our clients are schools and educational facilities.

Healthy Living for Customers

With a Healthy Living Award, Inspire customers can have the confidence to choose food options knowing that they will receive a balanced, nutritious meal or snack. All menu offers reflect a variety of choices with something for everyone.

All food on offer in every Inspire restaurant or café is prepared in the most health conscious way possible, by using less salt and fats to still offer a great tasting final dish. Simply by making slight changes, such as using low fat mayonnaise or low fat milk or choosing to grill instead of fry, customers can still enjoy the tasty dishes they love, prepared in a healthier way.

Photo of most recent Inspire Managers receiving their Awards at this year’s Ceremony.

Sustaining Healthy Living

As part of the conditions of the award, there are several assessments made along the way. The award lasts for 2 years where it is then necessary to reapply and be re-audited to keep accreditation. We always have fresh fruit and vegetables, water and low fat food options on offer throughout our sites, and we work with a number of quality suppliers to deliver this.

We are committed to giving customers at all our sites the choice to create their own healthy, balanced meal and hope to sustain this award for years to come.