Healthy sport club canteens

This article appears in the April 2009 edition of Sportshorts.

With childhood obesity levels on the rise, the responsibility for reversing the trend is falling to many – government, community groups, schools and parents. Can sport club canteens have a role too? A new project is investigating.

The notion of a ‘healthy sports canteen’ immediately draws opposition from many clubs – ‘it’s not our role’, ‘we won’t make money’, ‘people don’t want health food’, ‘we don’t have the room to stock and prepare more food’ – are all common reactions.

But the Healthier Food and Drink Choices in Sporting Organisations project has revealed it’s not as hard as it may seem.

“We’ve found that sport canteens can make healthy changes and remain just as profitable,” says Cristy Cotter from NSW Sport and Recreation (NSWSR).

Lead by the Sydney West Area Health Service and NSWSR, the project has involved working with 20 sporting organisations (summer and winter sports) in western Sydney. The initial stages assessed food and drinks offered in the trial group, as well as the barriers to introducing healthier options. A workshop was then run for canteen managers.

“The clubs were invited to a very practical workshop, run by a dietician and the project team. It covered topics like menu planning, pricing and healthy product samples from local suppliers,” says Ms Cotter.

Armed with information, clubs went away and implemented healthier menu changes. Post-season follow-up revealed no loss in profit – with 60% actually increasing profits.

“The workshop gave canteen managers the knowledge and skills to implement healthier choices.

“We found that changing your canteen to healthier food won’t mean less profit. In fact profits can increase, as you’re catering to a wider variety of tastes and preferences,” says Ms Cotter.

The Healthier Food and Drink Choices in Sporting Organisations project will continue through until 2010. The next stage will see the development of useful resources for canteen managers across NSW.

“Sport club canteens are a place many families and children visit every week. With some small changes to menus – that don’t greatly affect club profits or volunteer efforts – it’s definitely somewhere we can promote healthier food and drink options,” says Ms Cotter.

Four step plan of attack

1. IMPROVE the nutrition of what you sell

• Replace items with nutritious brands – lower in fat, salt and/or sugar
• Don’t stop selling items, just look for healthier options e.g. a meat pie lower in salt and fats
• For suitable brands, visit www.schoolcanteens.org.au/buyersguide

2. REMOVE the product you sell least of

• Check order books – remove poor selling unhealthy items from your menu
• If healthier foods are low sellers, try them for a few months in a less competitive environment and promote them more

3. REPLACE some of the products you sell least of with a healthy alternative

• Profits are least likely to be affected if you replace just a few products with healthy items, while removing less popular unhealthy items

4. PROMOTE the changes you’ve made

• People assume sport canteens don’t offer healthy choices – promote that you do.