Manfield to front Good Fork Week campaign
Good Fork Week Ambassador Christine Manfield.
According to a recent study 61 per cent of Australian adults are either overweight or obese. On top of this Australia boasts one of the world's highest rates of childhood obesity.
In a response to this growing issue Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) and Obesity Prevention Australia have called on chefs and foodservice operators to join the fight against obesity by participating in the inaugural Good Fork Week.
The initiative will be held during National Health Awareness Month 22–28 October 2012, and will aim to encourage all food operators to commit to making small tweaks to at least a dish on their menu to provide more nutritious options to their diners and in turn take a step forward in tackling the obesity epidemic.
Leading Australian chef, Christine Manfield, owner, Universal restaurant is the official Good Fork Week Ambassador.
"I am proud to be part of Good Fork Week, which aims to kick-start a change in the thinking and practice of our industry, help guests eat more nutritiously when dining out," said Manfield.
"I believe foodservice venues, from fine dining to the local pub, can all help contribute to the fight against obesity," said Manfield.
According to Manfield taking part in Good Fork Week can be as simple as 'adding more flavour to your dishes by using fresh herbs and spices instead butter or fat; substituting a serving of chips with a delicious salad; or perhaps grilling, steaming or baking your protein instead of frying, and re-evaluating portion sizes'.
The idea behind Good Fork Week stemmed from new findings from the third installment of Unilever Food Solutions' World Menu Report.
The report found that two in every three Australian diners would prefer healthy food options when eating out but many feel that the healthier options on menus 'usually don't sound tasty' and are often 'not very filling'.
To address this mismatch, UFS has created a simple solution for chefs and operators called 'Seductive Nutrition' – a new approach to menu design which nudges guests to more nutritious options when eating out.
"There are currently one billion overweight adults globally and this will continue to rise to 1.5 billion by 20152 unless we take action now," said Yezdi Daruwalla, managing director of Unilever Food Solutions ANZ.
"At Unilever Food Solutions, we believe that the foodservice industry has an important role to play in reducing the prevalence of obesity in Australia."
"I call on all chefs and operators to register now to be part of Good Food Week," concluded Daruwalla.
Participation in Good Fork Week is free of charge and all registered participants will receive a Good Fork Week Registration pack which will include the UFS Seductive Nutrition Service and recipe cards. Once they become an official partner, participants will receive a Good Fork Week Merchandising pack including Christine Manfield's own Good Fork Week menu item recipe, posters, stickers and other materials.
For more information visit www.goodforkweek.com.au or call 1800 066 838.
Source: Foodservice, 17 September 2012
