Healthy choices

Hospitals can play a positive role to promote healthy and active lifestyles. To support this, the Victorian Government has released 'Healthy Choices: Food and drink guidelines for Victorian public hospitals'.

The guidelines provide a voluntary framework for hospitals to work towards increasing the provision and promotion of healthier food and drink options in their canteens, retail outlets and in vending machines.

The guidelines are part of the ‘Go for your life’ initiative and are designed to ensure hospital staff and visitors who buy food and drinks in our hospitals have access to a wide range of healthy choices.

Food and drink is classified into three categories according to nutritional value, using the green, amber and red traffic light system.

The guiding principle is to improve the availability and promotion of GREEN food and drinks to at least 50 per cent of items offered, and limit the supply of RED food and drinks, (such as chips, deep fried food, lollies and soft drinks) to no more than 20 per cent of items offered.

The guidelines do not apply to inpatient, client and/or aged-care resident meals.

Hospital inpatient menu items are guided by the Department of Health’s Nutrition Standards for Menu Items in Victorian Hospitals and Residential Aged Care Facilities.

To support implementation of the guidelines, the Healthy choices tool kit has been developed as an on-line resource providing practical tips and advice to increase the supply and promotion of healthy choices.

To find out more

The Healthy Choices guidelines, tool kit and other resources to support implementation are available from the Healthy Choices website.

For more information about the guidelines please email healthychoices@health.vic.gov.au