Eat, drink, be healthy

More healthy food choices coming to AHS facilities

Story by Joanne Anderson

More healthy food and beverage options will soon be coming to an Alberta Health Services (AHS) facility cafeteria near you.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has launched a new Healthy Eating Environment Policy to promote health and wellness for patients, visitors and staff in its facilities, as well as to encourage chronic disease management and prevention.

"As health leaders, we have the opportunity and responsibility to demonstrate our leadership and support the health and wellness of our patients, visitors, staff, physicians and volunteers. We are committed to making the healthy choice the easy choice in all of our facilities across the province," says Ken Hughes, Chair, AHS Board.

A healthy eating environment promotes healthy eating choices, variety and portion sizes – consistent with Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide – and supports national and provincial recommendations for sugar, sodium and fat consumption.

The policy will be implemented in all AHS facilities and will apply to patient menus, as well as all food and beverages sold in cafeterias, vending machines, gift shops and external retailers operating in AHS sites. It will also apply to catering, celebrations, food rewards/incentives and fundraising activities associated with AHS.

Helping Albertans stay healthy by encouraging healthy lifestyle choices is a key strategy in the 5-Year Health Action Plan, jointly developed by AHS and the Government of Alberta and made possible by the province's 5-Year Health Funding Plan.

"We're not taking away choices or food options from people. Rather, we want to ensure our facilities are offering healthy alternatives and appropriate portion sizes," says Susan McKay, Vice President, Nutrition and Food Services. "This is our opportunity to be a role model to support healthy eating and help Albertans make and sustain positive changes in their lives."

AHS will now begin an extensive engagement process with staff, physicians and volunteers; vendors and suppliers; patients and their families; foundations, trusts and volunteer associations; and the general public.

"We will also work with our partners to identify any concerns and barriers around implementation of the policy and what strategies we need to develop to ensure a smooth transition," says McKay.

The policy will then be implemented in phases based on feedback from the engagement process.

AHS is also launching Healthy Eating Starts Here: Steps to a Healthier You, an evidence-based education campaign within its facilities that will provide a clear definition for healthy eating and specific actions that individuals can take to incorporate healthy eating into their lives.

"These messages will be used by AHS to model healthy eating and support healthy eating environment strategies," says McKay. "They will be integrated into all Nutrition Services education and resource materials to help educate Albertans on how they can incorporate healthy eating into their lives."