Unilever Food Solutions helps chefs to cut calories and meet Government targets
Unilever Food Solutions has launched a new campaign to encourage chefs to slash over 500 million calories from their dishes every day to help meet Government targets and tackle Britain?s obesity problem.
With a quarter of UK adults already classified as obese, chefs can help to improve the health of the nation by slicing just 24 calories from each dish – helping to meet Health Secretary Andrew Lansley?s national five billion calorie reduction a day target.
To drive home the message, the global food giant partnered with BBC Celebrity MasterChef winner and healthy eating champion Lisa Faulkner to launch a calorie-busting ?Ambu-lunch? outside the Houses of Parliament.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley enjoyed a light lunch on board the converted ambulance, complete with working restaurant.
The ?Ambu-lunch? will now visit chefs around the country, driving awareness and providing tips on how to reduce calories.
Andrew Lansley says: ?Eating and drinking too many calories is at the heart of the nation’s obesity problem.? We all have a role to play if we are going to cut five billion calories from our national diet each day, including making it possible to eat the meals we enjoy with fewer calories in them. The ?Ambu-lunch? activity is just one of the ways the food service industry is helping to achieve this. As it sets out on a nationwide tour, I would encourage everyone to get involved.?
Unilever Food Solutions? latest World Menu Report called ?Seductive Nutrition? reveals that more than half of diners want healthier options when eating out, but just as many think nutritious options sound less appealing and that they?ll go home hungry.To dispel the myth, Unilever Food Solutions is calling upon chefs to make slight changes to their top-selling dishes to nudge consumers towards healthier eating.
Unilever Food Solutions has launched a toolkit, ?Seductive Nutrition? to help chefs reduce the calories in their dishes, whilst still keeping taste a priority. They?ll have access to a unique online Calorie Calculator, which allows them to better understand the calorie differences between ingredients and make healthier swaps and adjustment of portion sizes.
Tracey Rogers, managing director of Unilever Food Solutions, says: ?Eating out should still be a treat for consumers when they want it to be and we don?t want to change this. What we do want to do is raise awareness to chefs that they have the power to make small changes that won?t impact on taste or quality. By making these small changes to consumers? favourite dishes, and giving them a ?stand out? introduction on menus, together we can help to make Britain healthier, meet Government targets and benefit our businesses ? because increased customer satisfaction boosts sales.
?Our new toolkit, ?Seductive Nutrition? will help chefs to nudge consumers towards choosing a healthier option when eating out. We?re not asking chefs to overhaul their menus; if every chef reduces just 24 calories from each dish then the hospitality industry could contribute to improving the health of the nation.?
For more information on Unilever Food Solution?s World Menu Report: Seductive Nutrition, please visit: www.unileverfoodsolutions.co.uk/yourmenu/seductivenutrition