Tackling childhood obesity campaign: Council asked what is being done about vending machines?

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In light of the council's campaign to tackle childhood obesity, Rochdale Online asked what is the council, Link4Life, NHS CCG, colleges, schools and Pennine Acute doing to tackle all the vending machines in sports centres, hospitals, colleges, schools, health centres which sell sweets, fizzy and sugary drinks, fatty and salty snacks to children and young people in the borough?

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/111205/council-leader-richard-farnells-roundup-for-june

Tackling child obesity:  Last week we launched the council's campaign to tackle childhood obesity. The problem is a ticking time-bomb that could have a devastating impact on the health and quality of life for future generations.

The council has made this a priority for public health funds and are working with schools, health and the youth service to make a real impact in tackling the issue.

Thanks to Councillor Donna Martin for making the keynote speech at the launch conference.

Howard Cartledge, Trust Catering Lead at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We are fully supportive of the council’s childhood obesity campaign and we continue to encourage our staff, patients and visitors to make healthy choices when buying food and drinks at our hospitals.

“The Trust recently changed vending machines operator to a supplier whose snack and confectionery machines provide a balanced range of snacks, confectionery and healthier products.

“Our vending machines are compliant with the Department of Health’s Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUINN) framework for staff health and wellbeing, which prohibits price promotions on high fat, sugar, salt foods and sugary drinks; prohibits on site advertising of high fat, sugar, salt foods and sugary drinks; and ensures that healthy options are always available, particularly for night shift workers.

“The vending machines also meet the Buying Standards guidelines.”

A spokesperson for Link4Life said: “Link4Life is currently working with our vending suppliers, Pelican Rouge, alongside the food and drinks industry to reduce the amount of high sugar and high fat offer within vending machines at our facilities.

“We continue to review all products within our vending machines against the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) national goals for the NHS to ensure that it is easier for customers and staff to make healthier choices, supporting their own health and wellbeing.

“Part of this review has already led to us introducing healthier options into the machines within our venues, examples of which are skinny popcorn, baked crisps alongside an increase in the number of zero sugar drink products on offer.”

Andrea Fallon, Rochdale Borough Council director of public health and wellbeing, said: “Tacking childhood obesity is a priority for the borough and one of our key actions is to ensure that healthier options are readily available and easy for our residents to access, which includes vending machines.

“The issue of healthier food and drinks in vending machines is one we are keen to work with our partners on and advise that our residents be given the opportunity to choose the less fat, salt and sugar options for themselves.

“Our childhood obesity summit in June marked the start of our partnership commitment to improving the health of our borough’s children and young people and some great work is already being undertaken.

“We currently have a whole school foods policy in place which advises schools on healthy snacks, rewards and meals as well as 20 primary schools across the borough with a gold standard healthier catering award due to their commitment to providing healthier options.

“Plans are also in the pipeline for sugar reduction and other healthy eating campaigns in both primary, secondary schools and with wider partners and businesses.”

A spokesperson for the NHS HMR CCGs said: “NHS Heywood Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group works extremely closely with Rochdale Council, Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Pennine Care Foundation Trust, CVS and Link4Life in support of the childhood obesity campaign which results in several core workstreams aimed at providing help and guidance to families.

“The CCG works to promote healthier people, better future and consistently promotes healthy eating messages via its communications mechanisms.”

Oulder Hill Leisure Complex had not responded to an invitation to comment at the time of publication.