Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) presented the first LEAP Healthier Choices Award to Terrie Ann Scott of the Home N Away café, Myatt’s Community Centre on Wednesday 20 November. Families joined the celebration and shared a healthy meal.
Food and environment
The new award recognises changes made by food outlets to provide healthier food choices – using healthier fats, cutting down on sugar and salt, and by what they do to promote these healthier offerings to customers. It also considers the environment within the establishment, promoting family-friendly facilities such as high chairs, a changing area and being breastfeeding-friendly.
Healthy out-of-home options
Liza Ctori, LEAP Senior Community and Environmental Health Officer, who presented the award, said: “It’s sometimes difficult to find healthy out-of-home food options, or to work out what’s healthy and what’s not. We want to work with local food establishments to offer families healthier options and more choice.” One of the three LEAP strands is Diet and Nutrition, aimed at improving the local food environment for children and families. Working in partnership with LEAP, Lambeth’s Environmental Health Officer is well placed to work with local food businesses, supporting them to provide healthier food offerings by switching ingredients, and modifying the way they prepare and serve food.
Rozaline and her daughters Janaya and Jolal, and friend Taliya celebrating at Home N Away Cafe
Meaningful and practical changes
Before launching the scheme, LEAP’s Diet and Nutrition team worked with families and local food outlets to identify meaningful changes that families would respond positively to, and which food outlets would be able to make. Businesses that make the changes receive an award and display a window sticker – green when they’ve made initial changes to menus and environments, and gold when staff have received nutritional training.
For more information
- If you’re a food business who’d like support and advice on offering healthier food in Lambeth, please contact Liza Ctori, Senior Community and Environmental Health Officer.
- Set up in 2015, Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) is made up of parents, early years practitioners, nurseries, children’s centres, the National Children’s Bureau, Lambeth Council, NHS trusts, community organisations and several local charities. The aim is to have a positive impact on the diet and nutrition, social and emotional well-being, and communication and language of children aged 0-3. We aim to influence broader policy and practice through learning about what works. LEAP is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund as part of the “A Better Start” initiative, hosted by the National Children’s Bureau, and focused on Lambeth wards Coldharbour, Stockwell, Tulse Hill, and Vassall. Find out more online.
