Beyond the School Gate: Improving Food Choices in the School Community

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First published by The Scottish Government, May 2014
ISBN: 978-1-78412-240-9

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The Scottish Government
St Andrew’s House
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

Produced for The Scottish Government by APS Group Scotland DPPAS20249 (05/14)

Published by The Scottish Government, May 2014

Foreword - Minister for Public Health & COSLA

There is a broad consensus in Scotland on the need to inspire healthier diets, particularly amongst our children and young people. Establishing healthy eating habits at a young age is hugely important knowing that the behaviours we develop in childhood can last a lifetime and continue to influence the food choices we make as adults.

We recognise that the food choices children and young people make throughout the school day can have a considerable influence on their overall diet. Over the past 10 years, much has been done to ensure that food provision and food education in schools supports children and young people to eat a healthy balanced diet. However, this is only a part of the solution. With a significant proportion of secondary, and even some primary age pupils, choosing to purchase food from nearby outlets during the school day, the food environment around schools has an equally important role to play in encouraging children and young people to eat a healthy diet.

There is considerable scope for action. This new Beyond the School Gate guidance provides practical advice on how we can work together to positively influence the food environment outside of schools to better support children and young people, and also the wider community, to make healthier choices. It invites partners to consider what more they can do, including how they can encourage children and young people to stay on site during the school day.

Developed by an expert working group, and endorsed by both the Scottish Government and COSLA, this valuable guidance is aimed at partners who can help us support healthier choices both within and outwith school, including local authorities, schools, retailers and caterers. We are encouraged by the innovative and exciting work already going on in different parts of Scotland and our ambition is to see this replicated across the country. However, we recognise that one size does not fit all and that partners need options to support a diverse range of local circumstances.

I strongly believe that children and young people deserve the opportunity to make healthier, more informed choices about the food they consume, regardless of whether they choose to eat inside or outside of school. By working in partnership, I believe that together we can deliver the changes necessary to create a more positive food environment around schools: one where healthy options are readily available and which supports children and young people to develop the habits necessary to help them to lead longer, healthier lives.

Michael Matheson
Minister for Public Health

Foreword

Obesity amongst both adults and children continues to be a significant challenge in Scotland. It is therefore vital that we do all we can to support individuals, and in particular our children and young people, to develop healthy eating habits at an early stage.

This document provides a valuable and comprehensive resource for community planning partners to collectively address this issue in local areas where our young people are educated. As such, I very much welcome and commend it.

We have done much to improve school food and drinks provision in recent years, but the environment outside of schools also plays a key role in influencing the food choices children and young people make. It is therefore necessary to broaden the scope of action beyond the school gate and take steps to address the disparity between the food on offer within and outwith schools. In doing so, the aim is to rebalance the proportion of healthier choices available to children and young people, regardless of whether they choose to eat school meals or continue to buy their lunch from outlets in the vicinity of schools. In addition, action could also have a positive impact on the wider community by improving access to healthier choices for everyone and establishing healthier eating habits that will be passed on to future generations. This toolkit is therefore intended as a mechanism to help secure that positive impact by sharing practical experience. It has been developed by a working group that included a range of staff from local government and other partner agencies; this is important as preventing obesity requires action by a range of agencies and has the potential to avoid significant costs to the whole of the public sector. However, these are long term goals which require significant change and a sustained effort to achieve.

The challenge for Scotland is therefore to develop this cross-portfolio action to fundamentally change the environmental, social and cultural circumstances under which children and young people become overweight and obese. This can only be accomplished through effective partnership and co-ordinated action at a local level across the public, private and voluntary sectors, with councils taking this forward through their leadership of Community Planning Partnerships.

Cllr Peter Johnston
COSLA Health and Wellbeing Spokesperson

Introduction

Introduction

It is essential that children and young people are able to make informed choices about the food they eat. Whether eating out, in school or at home, we need to support children and young people to make healthier food choices and eat a balanced diet.

Much work has been and continues to be done across Scotland to improve food in schools. The food environment beyond the school gate is also an area where there is scope to influence the food choices children and young people make throughout the school day. Action in this area can help to create a more positive food environment for children and young people; one that readily promotes health and wellbeing and makes healthier choices more accessible.

This document sets out options and invites local authorities, schools, caterers and retailers, and other partners to consider what more they can do to positively influence the food environment beyond the school gate. This includes options to encourage children and young people to stay on site and purchase school food as well as increase the availability of healthier options outside of school.

The guidance and support within this document is designed to help those involved to plan, develop and implement their own local strategies and programmes of activity. All partners are encouraged to take time to consider the support and tools available to them which they can use to effect change in their local area. A self-assessment tool is included in this document to help partners consider their role, to help recognise the positive work already underway, and to identify what more can be done to influence the food environment around schools and encourage healthier choices.

Opportunities for action have been identified across four main areas:

1 Stay on site and alternative outlet provision in schools

2 Marketing, promotions and incentives

3 Support and guidance for caterers and retailers

4 Regulation: Environmental Health, licensing and planning

This document has been designed to support a variety of local circumstances and diverse school environments in both urban and rural areas, recognising that a one size fits all approach is not appropriate. Some options are for local authorities to lead on; others for schools, retailers and caterers, but common to all is a need to work together in partnership.

The action set out in this document is intended to complement the extensive work already going on within schools to encourage more children and young people to eat a school meal. Better Eating, Better Learning: A New Context for School Food[1], published in March 2014, focuses on food provision and food education within schools. Taken together, these two documents provide a strong foundation upon which partners can continue to build and develop their plans to encourage and support children and young people to make healthier choices both within and outwith schools.

Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) and Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs) represent the key mechanisms by which partners currently come together to agree priorities, in the form of clear outcomes and improvement actions, and to align and target their total available resource towards those outcomes and actions. As part of this process, CPPs are tasked with developing a clear and evidence-based understanding of local needs and opportunities, underpinned by robust and relevant data and strong engagement with communities and the third and business sectors.

This presents a real opportunity and an established route through which local authorities and other partners can consider the food environment within their communities, as part of their broader work to understand local need.

CPPs are also tasked with considering local needs in relation to three national priorities, and with developing local outcomes within their SOAs to address those needs. Each CPP will agree its own individual local outcomes. However joint action across CPPs to positively influence the food environment around schools would contribute directly to two of the six national SOA priorities – early years and reducing health inequalities. CPPs will want to consider the potential this offers. In addition, any action to improve the food environment around schools and the food choices young people make can help to take demand out of the system by preventing future health issues associated with poor diet. CPPs will therefore want to consider the potential for the action identified in this document to form a key component of their joint approach to tackling health inequalities and developing earlier interventions as part of a collaborative approach to prevention.

Improving diet, particularly amongst children and young people, is integral to the Scottish Government’s national outcome to lead longer, healthier lives. The action set out in this document directly supports the commitment set out in the Obesity Route Map Action Plan[2] ‘to explore measures to restrict access by children to nutritionally inappropriate meals and high energy and energy dense foods from businesses located in the vicinity of schools’. This guidance also supports a number of other key national policies including the Supporting Healthy Choices Voluntary Framework[3], Recipe for Success: Scotland’s National Food and Drink Policy[4], the Scottish Dietary Goals[5], The Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007, The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008, and Curriculum for Excellence[6]. Greater knowledge and understanding of food and health will also support our children and young people to be develop the four capacities: to be successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.

Improving the food environment in and around schools is a considerable challenge; there is no quick fix or simple solution to this complex issue. However, we firmly believe that this ambition can be achieved through:

community planning priorities that reflect the public health ambitions;

stronger partnership working between local businesses and schools to provide healthier options for children and young people;

food businesses prioritising health through responsible marketing and employee development;

a stronger health improvement focus for environmental health; and

public health being at the heart of licensing and planning decisions.

It is recognised that this vision will require partnership working and commitment from all sectors. However, through the actions identified in this document, there is a real opportunity to positively influence the food environment and the food choices children and young people make, both in and out of school. Not only will this benefit children and young people, it will also have a positive impact on the wider community, by making healthier choices more accessible to all.

Case for Action

Case for action

A healthy balanced diet in childhood and adolescence is not only important for healthy growth and development but is essential to help us learn and develop good dietary habits that can remain with us into adulthood and help us lead longer, healthier lives.

In Scotland, the diet of children and young people continues to fall short of nutritional recommendations. In 2012, around 30% of children aged 2-15 in Scotland were overweight or obese[7]. Children and young people are consuming diets that are too high in fat and sugar and too low in fruit and vegetables[8]. Recent surveys have shown that, despite some improvements, only 13% of 2-15 year olds are meeting the recommended intake of five or more fruit and vegetables per day[9]. Sugar intake amongst children is of particular concern with the consumption of soft drinks and confectionary contributing 16% and 13% respectively to a child’s daily intake of sugar[10]. Children and young people living in low income areas are even more likely to have a poor diet: eating more sugary foods and drinks and less fruit and vegetables than children from more affluent areas[11].

Children and young people spend on average six hours a day at school and it has been estimated that 30-35% of their total daily energy intake occurs during the school day[12]. This means that the food and drinks that children and young people consume throughout the school day can substantially influence their overall diet and energy intake.

Schools have long been established as a route through which to promote healthier eating habits among children and young people. In Scotland, school food is regulated under The Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007 and The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008, which set strict nutritional criteria for all food and drink served in schools. In 2013, 53% and 44% of primary and secondary school children respectively took a school meal[13]. With the introduction of Curriculum for Excellence, (CfE) health and wellbeing, including food and health, is now an integral part of all aspects of learning and is at the heart of school policy development and implementation. CfE also focuses on social wellbeing and encourages children and young people to explore their rights and responsibilities to participate in society, represent their class, school or wider community and bring about change in the wider community.

Equally important is the food environment outside of schools and its influence on the food and drink choices of children and young people. In a recent study[14], 63% of all secondary school pupils reported sometimes purchasing food and/or drinks outside of school at lunchtime. Recent research by Children in Scotland[15] found that children and young people choose to leave the school grounds at lunchtime for a variety of reasons including: they enjoy the freedom and fresh air; the choice of food on offer; perceived value for money; or to be with friends. Furthermore, children and young people from more deprived areas and those in S3-4 were found to be more likely to purchase food or drinks outside of school at lunchtime.

Unlike schools, the food and drink available from nearby outlets is not required to meet nutritional regulations. Various studies[16], [17] have highlighted the wide availability of foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) from outlets near schools. Research in 2012 by Glasgow Centre for Population Health and the Food Standards Agency in Scotland on foods available from outlets in the vicinity of schools showed that the majority of the food and drink on offer contrasts sharply with that offered in schools which is governed by nutritional standards[11], [18]. Research has also indicated that a majority of the foods purchased by children and young people outside school during the school day exceeded recommended levels of saturated fat and provided more than the recommended calories from fat and sugar[17].

A recent survey by Young Scot[19] found:

Over 70% of respondents can access at least four food outlets in the vicinity of school;

Just over half of respondents could access a local food outlet within 5 minutes’ walk, over 80% in up to 10 minutes;

On average, children and young people had £2.82 to spend on lunch each day;

Nearly 70% reported having to queue for 5 minutes or less to purchase their lunch at a local outlet;

Price and type of food on offer were the most important factors, although promotions and social issues were also important;

Supermarkets, convenience stores, sandwich shops and bakeries were the most popular outlets; and

22% of children and young people reported never using the school food facilities.

It is recognised that some children and young people may bring a packed lunch to school. Young Scot found that around 15% of young people of secondary school age bring a packed lunch to school every day[18]. Guidance providing options for packed lunches is already available locally and it is up to local authorities and schools to decide how best to disseminate this guidance to parents and children and young people.

It is clear that there is considerable scope for food outlets near schools to support and positively influence children and young people’s food and drink choices. There is a clear need to reduce the disparity between the food and drink on offer within and outwith schools and rebalance the proportion of healthier choices available to children and young people, regardless of where they choose to eat. In this way we can help to create a food environment outside of schools that is health promoting and better supports and complements the activity going on within schools. Furthermore, the wider community is also likely to benefit from improved access to healthier, affordable and sustainable food choices from local outlets.

Opportunities For Action

Opportunities for action

1 Stay on site and alternative outlet provision in schools

A great deal of work has been done to improve the quality of school food in Scotland. With the introduction of The Nutritional Requirements for Food in School (Scotland) Regulations 2008, children and young people are now offered a choice of healthy food options throughout the school day. However, some children and young people still choose to leave the school grounds and purchase food from nearby outlets. As a result, schools are thinking innovatively about how they can encourage children and young people to purchase food in schools to ensure the quality and nutritional content of the food on offer.

Many local authorities have consulted with children and young people, parents, catering staff and school staff to determine their views and opinions on an array of issues around school food. In response, they have made a number of improvements to encourage more children and young people to purchase school food including:

Pre-order facilities and made to order provision;

Alternative queuing systems;

Dining room improvements; and

Additional till and service points.

Such practices are now commonly observed in school dining areas across Scotland. In almost all cases these changes have had a positive impact on the numbers of young people using school lunchtime facilities. These types of activities are explored further in Better Eating, Better Learning: A New Context for School Food[1]

Stay on site

Some schools are providing activities during the lunch break to help encourage children and young people to voluntarily remain within the school grounds and eat a healthy school lunch. Research has shown that this approach is effective in reducing the number of children and young people who leave school to purchase their lunch from local outlets[20].

In addition, some schools have taken the decision to restrict children and young people from leaving the school grounds during the school day by introducing a stay on site policy.

There are a number of considerations for schools when thinking about introducing such a policy.

When introducing a stay on site policy, key points for consideration include:

Engagement: Involving children and young people, parents and staff is an important element of any stay on site initiative. Clear and regular engagement with all involved is important to secure support.

Staffing: Buy-in and support from school staff is crucial for successful implementation. Volunteers, parents and senior pupils might also be able to be recruited to run lunchtime activities and assist with supervision.

Facilities: Schools need to ensure that they can accommodate those who choose to stay on site, eat a school lunch and participate in an activity. To speed up children and young people’s dining experience and accommodate increased numbers, schools could consider introducing alternative settings and mechanisms for purchasing lunch e.g. pre-order or ‘grab and go’ options, as well as staggered lunch breaks, queue rotas and priority queuing for those participating in an activity. Schools should ensure that options are available for children and young people with particular dietary needs e.g. for health reasons or due to particular beliefs.

Activities: Activities e.g. sport, music, art are an essential component of successful stay on site policies. What is offered will vary between schools and will depend on available resources (both staff and facilities) and children and young people’s interests. Children and young people should be involved in developing activity programmes and made aware of what is available. Schools should also consider options for children and young people with specific needs and for those who do not wish to participate in organised lunchtime activities.

Implementation: Schools should consider a staged approach to implementation. An introductory period provides an opportunity to seek feedback from staff and parents as well as children and young people and to make any necessary changes.

Monitoring & evaluation: Once implemented, appropriate monitoring of stay on site is essential to gain feedback, gauge impact and identify areas for improvement. This should involve staff, parents, children and young people and should be built in when developing implementation plans.

case-studyCASE STUDY

Views from children and young people, parents and staff of stay on site pilot

A pilot project to encourage children and young people to stay on site took a holistic approach to create an enjoyable, healthy, active lunchtime environment. A package of activities was established in each school to provide a positive incentive for children and young people to remain on the school premises at lunchtime.

An evaluation sought views from children and young people, staff and parents on the initiative:

Children and young people - considered lunchtime activities to be one of the best aspects as it gave them something to do with friends at lunchtime. Other positive effects included reduced pressure from peers to go out if they didn’t want to and less likelihood of bullying and teasing of those who wanted to stay in school. Children and young people also thought school meals were good value, good quality and healthy.

School staff - reported a number of other positive impacts including improved safety, reduced lateness and truancy and better opportunities for children and young people to get to know each other and engage with teaching staff.

Parents/carers - were reassured that their child was in school at lunchtime, particularly in relation to their safety. Many were concerned about the risk of injury from road traffic, getting into fights and stranger danger. They also felt that stay on site provided an opportunity for their children to make friends in a safe, structured environment.

Further information is available at

http://www.gcph.co.uk/publications

Alternative school food outlets

Addressing factors such as queuing and ordering systems within existing dining provision in schools may provide only a partial solution to encourage young people to remain on site. In recognising this, several local authorities have taken the step of looking outwith existing facilities to explore the potential for a more flexible approach.

Local authorities are investing in a growing range of additional food provision within school grounds which target children and young people before they leave school, including:

Static food kiosks or huts;

Creative adaptions of existing but underutilised spaces or buildings both inside and outside the school building; and

Healthy mobile vans within school grounds.

St Paul’s High School Hut, Pollok, Glasgow

These additional outlets sell the same food, both hot and cold, at the same cost as would be available in the dining area, often in a more portable form. In some cases the range may be more limited but still meets the requirements of the food and drink standards within The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008.

In addition to investment in a range of facilities, investment in people has been a key factor for success. Training staff ensures that they are prepared and able to champion good quality school food and sends a strong message to customers.

The Gallery café at Eastbank Academy, Shettleston, Glasgow

Alternative outlets

In considering additional food outlets within school grounds and inside school buildings, the following points may be helpful:

Cost

To be viable, ideally additional outlets will generate new sales not just scatter existing customers. Projecting target sales to achieve payback on significant investments is key in planning new facilities.

Staffing

Additional staff may be required for new outlets and training maybe required.

Safety

A risk assessment will ensure that alternative outlets are safe for both the catering teams and the customers using the facility. For example, for outdoor facilities, furniture as well as uniforms must be appropriate. Also for some outlets consideration may be given to the use of customer flow barriers to ensure safe queuing.

Equality

Additional food outlets must ensure equal access for all customers. This includes options for those with particular dietary needs. Consideration should also be given to payment systems to ensure customers entitled to free school meals can access the facility and that their identity is protected.

Supervision

It is essential that a senior school manager is included at all stages of planning additional food outlets. Issues such as supervision can then be addressed as the project progresses.

Security

Consideration should be given to the security of both external and internal areas during school hours and while the school is unoccupied.

Litter

A litter policy may be required to ensure that appropriate provision is in place to take care of litter at additional service points.

case-studyCASE STUDY

Healthier Food Vans

In 2004, a local authority introduced mobile food vans into the grounds of three of its schools. The aim of the initiative was to encourage pupils to stay within the school grounds at lunchtime and help prevent problems often associated with a large amount of pupils descending on the town at lunchtime.

The vans are part of an overall push towards helping young people in the local authority to adopt a healthy diet and lifestyle, while offering them the convenience and speed they would expect from local fast food vans.

These bespoke vans sell a range of hot and cold snacks that comply with The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008, and provide an additional service point for children and young people that choose not to use the existing school facilities.

The mobile vans have proved to be a successful addition to the school meals service and are used by approximately 11-27% of children and young people at the three schools.

2 Marketing, promotions and incentives

The way in which food and drink is marketed to children and young people can have a considerable bearing on what is purchased and eventually consumed. Marketing can affect young people directly or through peer and family groups. In a recent Young Scot survey[18], children and young people reported that the cost of lunch was the most important factor in deciding where to have lunch, closely followed by the type of food on offer. Meal deals and special offers were also considered to be important.

Schools often use promotions to encourage children and young people to choose a variety of different foods which support a healthy balanced diet. Many food outlets near schools also specifically target their marketing towards children and young people. However, as outlined earlier, the types of food on offer are often considerably different to that permitted within schools. Deals on chips, fizzy drinks, confectionery and other HFSS foods are common[21] and viewed by children and young people as good value and a reasonable alternative to school food. However, the Young Scot survey[15] showed that young people will choose healthier options such as water, sandwiches and fruit, where they are available.

Furthermore, Children in Scotland[15] found that children and young people felt they could be encouraged to eat more healthily if: there were more healthy options available, these foods were cheaper; and healthy options were more visible.

Retailers and caterers, in addition to schools, have a crucial role to play to encourage and support children and young people to choose healthier options. Marketing can be used to rebalance promotions across retail and catering outlets to better encourage healthier behaviour and be a positive force in promoting healthier choices. Action is, however, required at both a local and national level to achieve the scale of change that is needed. In simple terms, this is about:

the right product;

sold at the right price;

in the right place; and

using the most suitable promotion.

At a local level

There are a range of options available to retailers and caterers, and also schools, to support the marketing and promotion of healthier food options throughout the school day.

Advertising

Both retail and catering businesses, as well as schools, use advertising to attract customers. Effort should be made to promote and make children and young people aware of healthier options through advertising activity.

Labelling

Clear labelling around calories, fat, sugar and salt content as well as ingredients, cooking methods and where the food comes from can assist children and young people to make informed choices and help them to identify healthier options. A new voluntary front of pack labelling scheme[22] was introduced in the UK in June 2013.

Positioning

Healthy options should be visible and prominently positioned within store to help encourage uptake. For example, placing fruit and vegetables at the front of the store or moving confectionery away from till points.

Promotions

There is an opportunity to rebalance food promotions and offers towards healthier products using available guidance[23]. A key driver for consumers is price. Therefore, offers on healthier options would encourage healthier choices[18]. Examples include:

providing a side salad instead of chips;

offering a free piece of fruit with the purchase of particular products;

having healthier items as an option in lunch deals e.g. including water and fruit as part of meal deals;

offering smaller portion sizes of HFSS foods; and

no upselling of any HFSS food item at the point of purchase e.g. ‘go large’.

The Co-op and Sainsbury’s have set targets to ensure that respectively 30% and a third of their promotions are for non-HFSS foods.

Some companies are now providing soft drinks in 250ml formats. In Scotland, consumption of single serve soft drinks of up to 250ml is up 6.4%.

Rewards and incentives schemes

Rewards and incentives can be another helpful way to encourage children and young people to make healthier choices both inside and outside of school. Many local authorities have developed rewards and incentive schemes to encourage young people to stay in school, including:

Competitions for those who buy a school meal within a specific time period;

Donations to charities and good causes related to school meal purchases; and

Loyalty schemes tied in to wider behaviour, attendance and attainment reward schemes within schools.

Such schemes could be similarly run beyond the school gate and we would encourage retailers and caterers as well as schools to consider how rewards and incentive schemes can play a role to support healthier choices.

key-points
Key points: Rewards and incentive schemes

Interested in starting up a rewards or incentive scheme? A few things to bear in mind:

Rewards schemes must take into account the views of children and young people to ensure the reward on offer is valued by them.

It is essential to review rewards or incentive schemes regularly to maintain the interest and engagement of children and young people.

Any rewards scheme should complement existing local health promotion activity e.g. promoting healthy meal choices, encouraging the uptake of fruit or participation in an active lifestyle.

There is a need to brief all staff well in order that they can provide support and encouragement by referring to particular rewards or incentives when taking orders, at the till point, when teaching and in the dining room.

Local businesses and schools should look to work in partnership to implement rewards and incentive schemes to encourage healthier food choices e.g. outlets offering similar promotions as those available within school.

Rewards schemes can enable children and young people to explore issues which affect food selection by working with their school catering service such as the effect of media and advertising on consumer choice. Such activity candirectly support the experiences and outcomes for health and wellbeing set out in Curriculum for Excellence.

CASE STUDY

Young Scot Rewards

Young Scot has developed a national rewards programme which local authorities can use to encourage healthy choices, either within or outside of school.

Young Scot Rewards aims to encourage young people to participate in positive activities by offering points which can then be used to unlock rewards, including unique opportunities and ‘money can’t buy’ experiences. Encouraging healthy choices is a key aim of Young Scot Rewards.

The rewards programme encourages young people to stay in school by offering points for every day a young person chooses a school meal. As two-thirds of local authorities use the Young Scot National Entitlement Card to support cashless catering in secondary schools, points can be awarded automatically each day.

There is an opportunity to extend Young Scot Rewards to incentivise healthy choices beyond the school gate. Practically, an organisation which wishes to offer points to young people making healthy choices could do so by one (or a combination) of the following methods:

Handing out a points voucher (or including it on packaging), on to which a six digit points code is printed which can be entered by young people on the Rewards portal to claim their points; or

By using a bespoke Young Scot card reader to read the smartcards and award points automatically.

For more information, go to

https://rewards.youngscot.org/

Examples of how young people can earn points

Choosing healthier food options

Volunteering (Saltire Awards)

Participating in youth groups

Participating in sports events

Example rewards

Backstage interviews with celebrities

Tickets to cultural and sporting events

Discounted driving lessons

Unique work shadowing opportunities

case-study-purple
CASE STUDY
Other rewards and incentive schemes

Some rewards schemes offer points to children and young people for making healthy choices in school meals. These points can then be traded at the end of term for items such as shopping vouchers, cinema tickets and gym memberships. Young people can view their points balance online and trade in their points for their preferred rewards. The catering service invests in providing these rewards as it is seen to provide an effective return-on-investment in terms of encouraging people to stay in school at lunchtime.

At a national level

Healthy Living Award and Healthy Living Programme

Both of these Scottish Government funded initiatives provide support and guidance on the marketing of healthier options for caterers and retailers respectively. Further information on these schemes is provided in section 3 of this document.

Supporting Healthy Choices

A new voluntary framework setting out action to support healthier choices will be launched during 2014. The framework has been developed by the Scottish Government and the Food Standards Agency in Scotland and invites retailers, manufacturers and caterers as well as the public sector to take voluntary action to encourage the Scottish population to make healthier food choices.

The framework is underpinned by four key principles:

putting children’s health first;

rebalancing promotional activities;

supporting consumers and communities; and

formulating healthier products and menus.

The framework sets out commitments across these four areas which food companies can sign up to. Commitments on the marketing and promotion of food and drink are included within the framework and will directly support local marketing and promotional activity in food outlets around schools. These include:

the removal of confectionery from till points, checkout aisles and areas around checkouts;

to provide and incentivise healthy meal deals, particularly for school-age children and young people;

to rebalance promotions to support healthier choices; and

for caterers to work towards achieving the Healthy Living Award.

With children’s health at its heart, this voluntary framework complements and reinforces the action proposed in this document. Roll out of the framework will further support local action by retailers, caterers, schools and local authorities to encourage children and young people to make healthier choices throughout the school day.

More information is available at

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Healthy-Living/Food-Health

Front of Pack Labelling

In June 2013, the four Health Ministers across the UK recommended a new voluntary front of pack nutrition labelling scheme to help consumers see at a glance what is in their food and drink and enable them to make more informed choices.

Example of front of pack labelling

The new label is colour-coded red, amber and green, and highlights ‘percentage reference intakes’ (formerly known as guideline daily amounts), to show how much fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar and energy is in a product.

Red colour coding means the food or drink is high in this nutrient and we should try to have these foods less often or eat them in small amounts.

Amber means medium, and if a food contains mostly amber you can eat it most of the time.

Green means low, and the more green lights a label displays the healthier the choice.

Further guidance on the Front of Pack Labelling scheme is available at http://www.food.gov.uk/scotland/scotnut/signposting/

3 Support and guidance for caterers and retailers

Caterers and retailers are well placed to encourage children and young people, as well as their wider customer base, to make healthier food choices. This will also help to create greater parity between the food choices on offer both within and outwith school grounds. To encourage healthier choices, it is essential that retailers and caterers are well informed and understand the importance of a healthy diet. The provision of straightforward guidance, support and appropriate training can help achieve this and give retailers and caterers the knowledge and confidence they need to offer their customers healthier options.

Support for caterers

Healthy Living Award

The Healthy Living Award works with food outlets and the catering industry across Scotland to encourage changes in practice to promote healthy eating and make it easier for people to make healthier choices when eating outside the home. Since the award was introduced in 2006, over 2000 businesses have been involved including local authorities, the NHS, community organisations, and catering businesses. The award is managed and delivered by NHS Health Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government. The award forms an integral part of the Scottish Government’s Preventing Overweight and Obesity Route Map.

To achieve the award certain conditions must be met. These conditions are based on the general principles of a healthy balanced diet and appropriate sales promotion and marketing activity to encourage and support healthier eating. The award conditions ensure that healthier ingredients and cooking methods are used to keep fat, salt and sugar to a minimum, and that options, such as water, low fat dairy products and fruit and vegetables, are always available.

The award is free and open to all types* of food service outlets in Scotland, including cafés, sandwich shops, restaurants, mobile vans and other places that sell prepared food. We know from research[18] that some children and young people who leave school at lunchtime purchase food from these types of establishment. Children and young people also tell us that they want to make healthier choices. By participating in the Healthy Living Award scheme, caterers can better support children and young people to make healthier choices.

*The award is closed to a small number of establishment types, such as schools, nurseries and in-patient hospital catering.

Benefits of joining the Healthy Living Award include:

Public recognition;

Ability to satisfy the growing demand for healthier food;

Improved knowledge of healthier foods and catering practices;

Quick, easy and recognised way to show that healthier ingredients and food preparation methods are used on site; and

Research shows that the Healthy Living Award is at least cost neutral.

Is the Healthy Living Award for me?

The HLA is open to a range of catering businesses. Examples of businesses that have achieved the award include:

mobile food van;

Chinese/Indian takeaway;

sandwich shop; and

leisure centre café.

Support and materials are provided by a team of experienced staff, and further information is available by contacting enquiries@healthylivingaward.co.uk or registering online at www.healthylivingaward.co.uk

Further support for small caterers

Advice and tips on key areas which caterers could look at to achieve healthier food provision are provided in Annex C.

In addition, The Food Standards Agency in Scotland is taking forward action as part of the Supporting Healthy Choices Voluntary Framework, to look at further support for small catering businesses to help them provide healthier foods and where possible provide information for consumers on healthier options. This work will take place over the next 12 months. Updates are available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Healthy-Living/Food-Health/supportinghealthierchoices

Support for small retailers

Healthy Living Programme

The Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) Healthy Living Programme is a partnership between Scottish Government and the convenience retail food industry in Scotland. Launched in 2004, it is an integral part of the Scottish Government’s action to improve dietary health with a focus on reducing health inequalities across Scotland.

The Programme encourages healthier eating choices by supporting convenience retailers, especially those in areas of multiple deprivation, to improve the accessibility, quality and affordability of healthier foods and subsequently support Scottish retailers to increase sales of healthier foods and improve their businesses.

Since its inception, over 1300 retailers have been involved. The Programme continues to receive the support of the Scottish Government who recognises the unique role convenience stores play in supporting individuals and families to make healthier life choices. The Programme has recently been expanded from focusing on only fruit and vegetables to include other healthier products such as some sandwiches and milk.

Retailers who join the programme can benefit free of charge from a range of services; from a choice of stands to promote healthier products within their store(s) to on-going promotional materials. In addition, the Healthy Living Programme Team provide support to train varying levels of convenience store staff. They also provide advice on presentation, quality and how to provide the best range of healthier options within store and maximise sales.

Research[19] shows that children and young people often purchase their lunch from convenience stores at lunchtime. The programme, therefore, offers a unique opportunity to target premises around schools to offer support to retailers to provide and promote healthier options for children and young people choosing to leave the school grounds at lunchtime. It can also offer a link to schools to work with local retailers to organise events to promote the importance of healthier products at for example breakfast.

To contact the Programme or for more information visit the website at

www.scottishshop.org/sgfhlp

Benefits of joining the Healthy Living Programme include:

Greater understanding of healthier foods and options;

Advice, training and support to help retailers promote healthier options;

Increased sales of healthier food items;

On average sales of fruit and veg increase by over 20% after joining the Healthy Living Programme

Greater potential to engage with local schools around food events;

Free resources such as stands, leaflets and signage; and

Access to suppliers through the Programme’s networking events.

Further support for retailers

The Young Scot survey[18] found that in addition to convenience stores, supermarkets are amongst the most popular lunchtime outlets for children and young people. Larger retailers are therefore also encouraged to consider what action they can take to promote and provide healthier options for children and young people throughout the school day.

The SGF Healthy Living Programme guidance[24] is available and relevant to all retailers, large and small, and provides useful guidance for retailers on healthier food provision.

Similarly, the Supporting Healthier Choices Voluntary Framework sets out specific actions for all retailers to support children and young people to access healthier options, for example, through the removal of confectionery at till points and the provision of healthier meal deals. Further details are available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Healthy-Living/Food-Health/supportinghealthierchoices

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CASE STUDY
Working in partnership with large food retailers

A local health board and community food project are working in partnership with a large food retailer to promote positive healthy food messages amongst staff.

Interested staff are being invited to participate in a unique and exciting pilot initiative aimed at providing customers with a little extra support when it comes to making positive food choices.

The benefits of this initiative are twofold: staff are given information on how to improve their own health and wellbeing; and customers shopping in store have the benefit of trained staff to help them make healthier food choices.

Many store staff already provide customers with help and advice, for example, finding particular products, highlighting in-store promotions. This initiative builds on those skills and encourages staff to become food champions.

The vision of a food champion is a person who is able to:

1. Guide customers to take full advantage of the range of foods available in store; and

2. Provide helpful suggestions for recipe ideas, local and seasonal food choices, and in-store promotions.

Training for retailers and caterers

Provision of training and guidance is an important route through which catering and retail employees can improve their knowledge of food and health. Better knowledge will help businesses to provide healthier options and encourage their customers to make healthier food choices.

The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) promote Food Hygiene and Food and Health training as part of a programme of essential employee development for the food, catering and retail sectors. There is wide availability across Scotland with 160 centres approved to deliver Food and Health training. Other organisations offer similar courses, so the availability of training to raise the understanding of food, health and nutrition in the retail sector is extensive. Further information is available at http://www.rehis.com/community-training

Food businesses are already required to provide employees with training in food hygiene commensurate with the employee’s job specification. Food businesses are therefore encouraged to consider food and health training in addition to food safety. Similarly, local authorities are invited to consider whether training could be a condition on the licence of mobile street traders.

4 Regulation: Environmental Health, licensing and planning

There is a growing call for local authorities to take action to restrict the operation of mobile food vans and the proliferation of food outlets in the vicinity of schools. This is often seen as a means of limiting the availability of foods high in fat, salt and sugar to children and young people during the school day. The current licensing and planning systems in place in Scotland give local authorities some powers to introduce certain restrictions. Similarly, the role of environmental health and how this can influence healthier catering practice in local areas has also been the subject of much discussion. This section describes how local authorities might consider using environmental health, licensing, and planning to positively influence the food environment around schools and is intended to facilitate a dialogue between relevant partners.

Environmental Health

The regulation of food hygiene and food standards is currently undertaken by environmental health professionals within local authorities. There are presently different measures that allow for the food environment near schools to be influenced by environmental health officers. This includes the traditional hygiene inspection of the food businesses as well as an emerging role in the provision of public information in relation to the food businesses and foods on sale within these businesses.

Consumers are increasingly citing the importance of good hygiene and cleanliness when eating out of the home. Data from the FSA publication Food and You[25] found that cleanliness and hygiene was an important factor for over 2/3 of respondents (69%) when eating out. Other factors influencing eating out choices included service (63%), price (54%) and healthy food choices (32%). With this in mind, a greater awareness amongst children and young people of food hygiene and how to check the status of local establishments would help them make more informed choices about where they choose to eat their lunch.

Food Hygiene Information Scheme

Local authority enforcement officers are responsible for inspecting food businesses to check that they meet the requirements of food hygiene law. These requirements include the hygiene conditions and the management procedures in place for providing safe food. The inspection result given as part of the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) is either a ‘Pass’ or ‘Improvement Required’.

The scheme is used as a condition for the assessment of the Healthy Living Award (see section 3). A premise must achieve a PASS rating and have the necessary nutritional conditions in place before it can be awarded the Healthy Living Award. The FHIS Pass award is relatively achievable by most food premises.

Eat Safe Award

Food businesses that pass the FHIS can also apply for the Eat Safe award. Adoption of this award is voluntary for local authorities and does not form part of their statutory duties. However, to ensure no additional burden on resources, assessment for the Eat Safe award can be carried out at the same time as a statutory food hygiene inspection.

The main aim of the scheme is to provide an incentive to food businesses to strive for food hygiene and food safety excellence by effectively implementing management standards beyond those required by law. The award certificates, which are displayed in premises, also help consumers make informed choices about where to eat out by providing a recognisable ‘sign’ of excellence in standards of food hygiene.

Eat Safe Awards are administered by local authority Environmental Health Services (EHS) in conjunction with the Food Standards Agency Scotland. Eat Safe is proving extremely successful as the number of food businesses meeting the award criteria continues to grow. More information is available at http://www.eatsafe.gov.uk/

Expanding the role of Environmental Health

Local authorities are encouraged to consider what role Environmental Health professionals could play in promoting healthier options and/or practices to businesses including signposting activity, beyond its current remit around food safety and hygiene.

Environmental Health is often considered a possible route through which local authorities could monitor the range of healthier foods available from establishments in the vicinity of schools. Whilst it would take a further extension of powers to regulate this, there could be scope to expand the role of Environmental Health beyond its current remit to promote and signpost food businesses to resources available to support them to offer healthier options.

Opportunities for action
Environmental Health teams are well placed to encourage businesses to take action to better support healthy eating not only amongst children and young people but also the wider community. Possible roles might be:

to signpost advice on nutrition and the Healthy Living Award during inspections;

to encourage businesses to train their staff in food, health and nutrition and to attend accredited courses;

to take on a more health promotion role and encourage businesses to reduce the levels of salt, fat and sugar in takeaway food;

to have greater involvement in the planning of schools to ensure adequate kitchen and dining facilities;

to use enforcement powers on businesses providing packaged food that does not display nutritional information; and

to participate in local action to implement local polices on food, nutrition and health.

Licensing

This section provides an overview of the process which can be used in terms of The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 to introduce a condition/restriction on street trader’s licences. It highlights the key issues local authorities will want to consider in developing proposals to restrict street trading near schools if this course of action is deemed appropriate.

The licensing of street traders falls within section 39 of the 1982 Act. If a local authority has passed a resolution to licence street traders that means a street trader is required to hold a licence if they intend to sell, offer to sell or carry out a service paid for by any person in a public place. This includes selling from a vehicle, kiosk or moveable stall.

All 32 local authorities in Scotland licence street traders and at the time of publication, 14 authorities have placed a condition/restriction on trader’s licences to restrict their operation in the vicinity of schools.

Restrictions have been introduced in respect of the area and/or times within which street traders can operate and, in effect, means there is an exclusion zone in place around schools within which street traders are not allowed to trade (usually during certain times/days). The degree of any condition/restriction is determined by local circumstances and varies between local authorities.

Key questions: Licensing

Key questions a local authority should consider when thinking about introducing licensing restrictions include:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a policy in place?

What impact will this have on street traders?

How many street traders would be affected?

Can any action be taken by the local authority to minimise possible impact (for instance in relation to distance, times etc)?

What enforcement action is envisaged?

Would the local authority be willing to accept signed undertakings from traders?

How will the condition be put on to traders licences (on a renewal basis or all at the same time)?

In this section we set out a potential approach, based on the experience of local authorities who have already chosen to implement restrictions. Whilst a number of local authorities have introduced restrictions, it is recognised that this option may not be appropriate for all. Local authorities need to be satisfied that they are not acting in any way that is ultra vires – i.e. beyond the scope of their legal powers. It is for individual local authorities to consider their own local circumstances and seek advice from their own legal departments regarding whether to add a condition/restriction to street trader’s licences to prohibit their operation near schools.

Overview of the process which can be used to introduce a condition on a street trader’s licence

1. Competence

a. As mentioned the licensing of street traders falls within the 1982 Act. In terms of the Act, a local authority has discretion to attach such conditions to licences as it sees fit (Schedule 1 paragraph 5). This discretion allows a local authority to attach conditions which relate to local situations and/or which are appropriate for that particular local authority area. It may be the case that the local authority’s resolution in respect of street traders will require to be amended in accordance with the statutory process detailed in section 9 of the Act in order that a new condition can be attached to the licence.

b. Licences are granted by the local authority and are conditional on the street trader complying with the Act and with conditions attached to their licence.

2. Establish a policy

a. The local authority needs to have a firm basis and rationale for introducing a policy in terms of taking action to encourage healthy eating amongst children and young people, particularly in the vicinity of schools. This should be informed by and complement other local and national initiatives and policies to encourage and support healthy eating amongst children and young people and the wider community.

3. Development of proposals

a. When developing proposals, the local authority should consider the situation across the whole local authority area.

b. Key information should be gathered to inform and help develop proposals. This includes information such as:

the number of pupils taking school meals, packed lunch, and eating out, to determine the extent of the issue;

the times schools break for lunch and whether pupils are allowed outwith the school grounds, to help determine the timings any exclusion zone would be in place;

the number of traders in the vicinity of schools, including the number of employees and times and areas of operation to determine how many traders will be affected; and

information about the type of food sold by street traders and other local outlets to help inform the wording of any condition (for instance, are all street traders to be caught by the exclusion zone regardless of the type of food they sell or only trader’s who sell specific food stuffs?). The Healthy Living Award criteria may provide a useful benchmark here.

c. Consideration should also be given to:

the distance of any proposed exclusion zone, which should be proportionate and reasonable in the circumstances, and where this will be measured from (i.e. the school gate, the centre of the school, the boundary fences?);

the times and days the exclusion zone will be in operation (for instance will it only be during term time?); and

whether the exclusion zone will be in place around both primary and secondary schools.

d. Proportionality, balance and enforceability are important key considerations at this stage. The benefits to the public of introducing an exclusion zone needs to outweigh any potential impact there may be on street traders. The local authority must ensure that they are not acting in a way which is ultra vires and any action taken by the local authority must be balanced against the right that street traders have to trade.

e. The development of proposals will then inform the wording of the draft resolution which will then, in turn, inform the wording of the condition which will be attached to licences.

4. Consultation

a. Once proposals have been developed, a consultation should be carried out. This is an important step and the consultation should be as wide and inclusive as possible to ensure that all interested parties e.g. street traders, schools, local residents, parents etc. have an opportunity to comment and put forward their views. If the resolution is to be amended, then there is a statutory consultation process which must be followed. Responses to the consultation should be used to inform any amendments to the draft proposals.

b. The responses may identify issues such as traders have a good client base that is not just school children, or the proposals will put traders out of business. At this stage, consideration can be given as to how any mitigation could be put in place to lessen any impact.

5. Identify barriers and possible solutions

a. It is important that any proposed condition/restriction is proportionate to what is trying to be achieved. Where possible, it is helpful to try and anticipate potential barriers and consequences (intended and unintended) of introducing a condition/restriction. This might include:

reduced litter and improved road safety and visual amenity around schools;

pupils/parents may feel they have a right to decide what they want to eat;

displacement of traders to other locations may elicit complaints from local residents; and

street traders may oppose the proposals.

6. Option appraisal

a. The local authority needs to be clear as to what objective it is trying to achieve. Local authorities should have considered whether there are any other ways to achieve this objective other than by introducing a condition on street traders licences which creates an exclusion zone around schools.

7. Impact assessment

a. The impact of the policy on all parties needs to be considered including: on street traders (in terms of their business); on local authorities (in terms of income from street trader licences) and on local residents, schools, and children and young people (in terms of healthy eating, litter, road safety etc).

b. In terms of the European Convention on Human Rights, every natural or legal person is entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of his possessions. A licence is considered a possession.

c. In addition, the local authority must act in a reasonable manner and cannot act in any way which is ultra vires.

d. The impact assessment should inform the local authority’s final decision on the terms of the proposed condition and help to ensure that any proposals are reasonable and proportionate.

8. Implementation

a. There are two mechanisms by which licences can be varied:

i. a condition can be imposed on a licence at the renewal stage. This could take up to three years to implement (as per the usual duration of a trader’s licence)

ii. the licences of all traders can be varied at the same time following a notification and hearing procedure in terms of Schedule 1 paragraph 10 of the Act.

b. The local authority should be mindful that it cannot impose a blanket policy on all traders and each individual trader’s circumstances must be considered. Similarly any interference with a person’s Human Rights by the local authority must be legitimate and proportionate.

9. Enforcement

a. Effective enforcement is required to ensure that the policy is successful. Any enforcement action should be reasonable, appropriate and proportionate.

b. A breach of the condition would constitute an offence under section 7 of the 1982 Act and the licence holder could be liable to a fine not exceeding £3000.

c. Local authorities may wish to consider whether they are willing to accept a written undertaking from a street trader e.g. to not operate in particular zones or sell particular items to school children. It is open to local authorities to determine the terms of an undertaking if they wish to do so. Local authorities may also wish to consider whether they would want traders to display signs to the effect that they are not selling certain food to school children.

10. Evaluation

a. Evaluation of the impact of any restriction is essential to determine whether it is fulfilling the original objective. Evaluation should be built into the process to monitor impact, identify any unintended consequences and determine whether any modification is required.

Planning

The planning system is often identified as a key route through which local authorities can, and should, tackle over provision of food outlets near schools. However, the planning system, as it currently stands, may not readily lend itself to this purpose. That said, there are some opportunities to influence the food environment around schools over the longer term through the planning system. This section provides an overview of the planning system in Scotland and considers what role it can play in influencing the food environment around schools.

Background

The planning system is used to make decisions about future development; to identify where development should occur in the long term and take decisions on whether individual development projects should be granted planning permission.

The aim is to deliver better places for Scotland in accordance with the Scottish Government’s central purpose of creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth. The planning system seeks to deliver long term benefits for people but does not seek to control the lifestyle choices of individuals. Every local authority in Scotland has a role as a planning authority.

Key points: Planning

Good places to live will generally contain a variety of development and activity, from homes to shops, places of work and food outlets, with positive and negative affects being considered as part of the planning process;

Lifestyle choices of individuals are not controlled through the planning system but overall the planning system seeks to deliver long-term benefits for people;

Local Development Plans set out the detailed planning polices for each individual planning authority area;

Health objectives for a local area are one of a number of matters which can inform the Development Plan policy;

Decisions on planning applications are expected to fit with the Development Plan policies but material considerations should also be taken into account;

Decisions regarding change of use and whether planning permission is required rests with the individual planning authority in each case.

How you can get involved:

Partners wanting to influence what development happens in an area need to be involved in shaping the local Development Plan policies;

Development Plans are reviewed every five years. There are opportunities for individuals, organisations and communities to be involved in the review and help shape local planning policy. Any proposed changes need to be evidence based.

In Scotland, Scottish Ministers indicate the long-term direction of where growth should happen through the National Planning Framework. More detailed policy priorities are set out in Scottish Planning Policy. Both of these documents guide the preparation of Development Plans and can be used to inform decisions on individual planning applications (available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/planning).

Development is described in the planning Acts and all development requires planning permission. Types of development include:

i) the physical construction of and alterations to buildings;

ii) changes to the type of activity, or ‘use’, which goes on within a building or on a site. Changes between types of activity are known as ‘change of use’.

Development Plans

All planning authorities prepare Local Development Plans and Supplementary Guidance, which set out the detailed planning policies for the individual planning authority area. Some areas are also covered by a Strategic Development Plan. The health objectives for the local area can inform Development Plan policy and are one of a number of matters to which the policy will respond.

The Development Plan sets out how places should change and what they could be like in the future. It can identify areas where it is desirable for certain types of development or activity to take place, or not take place. As such, Development Plans could limit the number of food outlets in a particular area if there is reason to do so which is related to planning positively for the quality of place. However, it is not automatically assumed that two properties identified for food outlets will be twice as bad for the health of the local population than one. Decisions about the mix of shops and services in an area will generally be made with more than one objective in mind.

Example: A restriction on the number of restaurant and café type premises in a defined area might be applied to ensure that other uses such as shops, banks and hairdressers will continue to have a role in the area.

The Development Plan policies help to set out what kind of development is acceptable. The local authority will respond to planning applications based on the Development Plan. It is expected that proposals which accord with the Development Plan will be approved. It is, therefore, important for partners wanting to influence what development happens in an area to be involved in shaping the Development Plan policies.

Preparation and review of Development Plans – how to get involved

Development Plans are reviewed every five years. The Planning Authority will produce a Development Plan Scheme and a Participation Statement which identifies the various stages of the review process, including when and how people can get involved in the review. This provides an opportunity for evidence to be presented that the Development Plan could and should be prepared to respond to health consequences in different ways.

During the first stage of preparing a new plan, the local authority will talk to communities and local businesses to make a main issues report. This will set out their ideas about the different ways the area could change. It is important to get involved in preparing the plan at this point, when it is easier for the local authority to take account of new ideas.

The local authority will then prepare a proposed plan and make it public. Formal comments can then be submitted to the local authority. If as a result of comments made to a proposed plan there are matters which the planning authority cannot resolve, an examination of only those matters will be undertaken by a person, known as a Reporter, appointed by Scottish Ministers. Local authorities must take notice of the findings of the examination before adopting their local Development Plan.

You can look at the Development Plan schemes and the Development Plan on local authority websites. Paper copies of the Development Plan are available in local authority planning offices and libraries.

Deciding Planning Applications

The planning authority considers how well planning applications fit with the Development Plan policies. Planning authorities also consider ‘material considerations’ in deciding whether to approve or reject a planning application.

A material consideration is a planning issue which is relevant to the application and can include national policy, comments by the public and by organisations the local authority has consulted, the design of the proposed development, and the effect of the plan on the environment. The local authority must decide how important these material considerations are.

These material considerations can mean that a development is approved where it might be contrary to the Development Plan, or refused where it might otherwise have accorded with the Development Plan. It is for the planning authority to decide how much importance or ‘weight’ it will attach to Development Plan policies and material considerations in making a decision on a planning application. However, the Scottish Government’s expectation is that in most instances the decision will be made in line with the Development Plan.

Use Classes and Permitted Development rights

In order to ensure that resources are focused on those applications which require it most, some more minor and less controversial types of development, including some changes of use, have been granted permitted development rights. This means that permission is already in place without the need to submit a planning application.

The Use Classes Order provides a number of groupings of uses (with each group known as a class). A change of use within each class is not considered to be development so no planning permission will generally be required.

Use Classes relevant to food are:

Class 1. Shops – including the sale of cold food for consumption off the premises;

Class 3. Food and Drink – the sale of food or drink for consumption on the premises;

Premises selling hot food mainly to be eaten off the premises are not grouped with any other uses and do not have a designated use class.

Permitted development rights are available for some changes of use between the individual classes. Class 3 uses can become Class 1 uses without the need for a planning application or permission. Therefore it can be expected that a café (Class 3) could become a sandwich bar (Class 1) without the need for planning permission to be sought. However, a sandwich bar (Class 1) becoming a café serving hot food for consumption within the premises (Class 3) would generally require planning permission. A sandwich bar (Class 1) becoming a hot food takeaway (which is not included in a class) would generally require planning permission. More detail on the range of permitted developments for change of use is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/1998/01/circular-1-1998-root/circular-1-1998.

The permitted development rights do not only include the food uses. A gift shop, for example, is in Class 1 and could be turned into a cold food takeaway (also Class 1) without generally requiring a planning application or permission.

It is important to remember that a change of use may not require planning permission where it is considered that the primary role of the existing use has not changed. For example a restaurant deciding to operate a minor takeaway service at the same time, may not require planning permission if it is considered that the takeaway role is not a significant business use in its own right. The decision on where the line between needing planning permission or not is for the planning authority to make in each case.

In addition, the Use Classes order only applies to the use of the property. If other changes are required to the shop front, for example, then planning permission for those changes may be required.

Creating Places

The planning system is about providing good places to live. Part of this relies on easy access to a range of goods and services. A variety of food outlets serve different needs and desires of resident populations. The food offer in an area is also important in making places attractive to go to at different times throughout the day.

There is no correct mix of uses and locations which create good places to live so the planning system must be flexible to local circumstances and reality of geography in the area. The Development Plan policies and decisions on individual applications provide for this in Scotland.

Summary

Summary

This document identifies key opportunities for partners to positively influence the food environment around schools and encourage children to make healthier choices in school and when purchasing food beyond the school gate. This includes action to influence some aspects within schools. All partners, including local authorities, schools, retailers, caterers, are strongly encouraged to review current policies. In doing, partners are asked to consider what more they could do, what they could do better, who they are working with and what approaches would best suit their local needs. The self-evaluation tool which accompanies this guidance has been designed to assist partners to do this. The areas for action identified in this guidance are by no means exhaustive and partners are urged to think innovatively about how they can best respond to their local needs.

There is no quick fix. Strong leadership, joint working and a partnership approach are essential to effect the changes required to improve the food environment around schools and support children and young people to make healthier choices. The action described in this document, along with the other work going on within schools and in the wider community around food and diet, will together help to transform the food environment around schools into one which supports individuals to make healthier food choices and will have a positive impact on their long term health and wellbeing.

Annex A: The Policy Environment

This section sets out the national policy drivers relating to food and health in Scotland and in particular those which are key drivers for improving the diet of children and young people.

Understanding and awareness of these key policies should assist Local Authorities and others in developing their own local policies and help them to build a robust and holistic case for action to improve the food environment around schools.

National policy documents relevant to this work are:

Hungry for Success

In 2003 the Scottish Government published Hungry for Success: A Whole School Approach to School Meals in Scotland. This report set out a number of recommendations designed to revolutionise school lunches and improve health and wellbeing at school in general. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2003/02/16273/17566

The Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007

This Act was approved in the Scottish Parliament and built upon the work which took place through Hungry for Success. It makes health promotion a central purpose of schooling and sets out a number of duties that each education authority in Scotland must achieve. There are seven main duties and these include ‘taking account of the principles of sustainable development when providing food and drink in schools’ and ‘complying with strict nutritional standards for all food and drink served in schools. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2007/15/pdfs/asp_20070015_en.pdf

The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008

This Regulation sets out the nutritional standards that all food and drink in schools must comply with. The duties under the Act and the standards in the Regulations are monitored by Education Scotland Health and Nutrition Inspectors as part of their annual programme of school inspections. The Regulations were introduced in primary schools in 2008 and secondary schools in 2009. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2008/265/contents/made

Equally Well: The Ministerial Taskforce on Health Inequalities

Equally Well was launched in June 2008 and produced in partnership with COSLA. A detailed action plan followed in December 2008. Equally Well highlighted that tackling health inequalities required action from national and local government and from other agencies, including the NHS, schools, employers and the Third Sector.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/229649/0062206.pdf

Recipe for Success: Scotland’s National Food and Drink Policy

Published in 2009, the aim of Scotland’s first national food and drink policy is to promote Scotland’s sustainable economic growth by ensuring that the Scottish Government’s focus in relation to food and drink, and in particular our work with Scotland’s food and drink industry, addresses quality, health and wellbeing, and environmental sustainability, recognising the need for access and affordability at the same time. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/06/25133322/0

Preventing Overweight and Obesity in Scotland

In 2010, the Scottish Government and COSLA launched this long-term obesity prevention strategy. The ‘Route Map’ recognises that we cannot expect people to be able to change their behaviour alone as the environment we live in today means that for most people weight gain becomes almost inevitable. The Route Map identified four key areas in which action is likely to have the greatest effect:

Reducing demand for and consumption of excessive amounts of high calorie foods and drinks;

Increasing opportunities for uptake of walking, cycling and other physical activity;

Establishing life-long healthy habits in children;

Increasing the responsibility of organisations for the health and wellbeing of their employees.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/302783/0094795.pdf

In 2011, the Scottish Government published the Obesity Route Map Action Plan which details the actions across Government that with our partners, will be taken forward to address the increasing prevalence of obesity in Scotland.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/03/17104457/0

Curriculum for Excellence

Curriculum for Excellence, implemented in 2010, aims to ensure that all children and young people in Scotland develop the attributes, knowledge and skills they will need to flourish in life, learning and work.

There are eight curriculum areas and for each curriculum area there are a number of topics which frame the experiences and outcomes that all children and young people are entitled to. Along with Numeracy and Literacy, Health and Wellbeing makes up the three core components that are the ‘responsibility of all’.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Schools/curriculum/ACE

Revised Dietary Goals for Scotland (2013)

Replacing the dietary targets set in 1996, these set out new evidenced-based dietary goals for energy, fats, salt, sugar, fibre and key food groups, such as fruit, vegetables, red meat and oily fish. It was noted that current dietary intakes in Scotland, while showing a modest improvement, were still some way from meeting the 1996 dietary targets. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Healthy-Living/Food-Health/DietaryGoalsScot

Improving Maternal and Infant Nutrition: A Framework for Action

In 2011, the Scottish Government launched the Improving Maternal and Infant Nutrition Framework which provides up to date information on the diet and nutrition of mothers and young children in Scotland, and research based recommendations for improvement. It sets out actions to be taken by the Scottish Government, NHS Boards, local authorities, community groups and others to help improve the nutrition of pregnant women, babies and young children. These actions include activities designed to improve the knowledge and skills of staff working to support families, improve communication of crucial messages on nutrition, and provide practical support for families to encourage good nutrition. http://scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/01/13095228/0

Better Eating, Better Learning: A New Context for School Food

Published in 2014, this document builds on the successes in school food and education since 2003. It aims to provoke fresh thinking around the opportunities and challenges brought about by a changing policy landscape. It promotes partnership working, sharing of ideas, and self-evaluation, around a number of areas including food and learning, school food and drink provision, the dining experience, and communications and engagement. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/03/1606/0

Supporting Healthy Choices: A (draft) Framework for Voluntary Action (to be published during 2014)

This framework sets out draft proposals for supporting healthy choices in Scotland. The draft proposals have a particular focus on:

children’s health;

promotions;

helping consumers with better information;

reformulation and making our products and menus healthier.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Healthy-Living/Food-Health/supportinghealthierchoices

Annex B: Evidence Base

There is a steadily increasing body of research looking at the food environment around schools and the impact this can have on the diet and health of children and young people. Researchers are also looking at the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving the food environment near schools and encouraging children and young people to make healthier food choices.

Key sources of evidence and research include:

Exploring food attitudes and behaviours in the UK: Findings from the Food and You Survey 2012. TNS BMRB, Policy Studies Institute and University of Westminster, 2012.

http://www.foodbase.org.uk//admintools/reportdocuments/805-1-1460_Wave_2_Main_Report.pdf

The Scottish Health Survey – 2005-present. Scottish Government.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/scottish-health-survey/Publications

Survey of diet among children in Scotland 2012. Food Standards Agency in Scotland.

http://foodbase.org.uk/results.php?f_report_id=777

Is eating out of school a healthy option for secondary pupils? – Report. September 2012, Fiona Crawford, Anne Ellaway, Dionne Mackison, John Mooney, GCPH.

http://www.gcph.co.uk/assets/0000/3539/Out_of_school_foods_report_-_final.pdf

Exploring the nutritional quality of ‘out of school’ foods popular with school pupils – Briefing Paper. June 2012. Fiona Crawford, GCPH.

http://www.gcph.co.uk/assets/0000/3361/GCPH_BP_35_FINAL_web.pdf

Are lunch-time stay on site policies sustainable? – Briefing Paper. 2012, Fiona Crawford, GCPH.

http://www.gcph.co.uk/assets/0000/3360/GCPHBP33webversion.pdf

Evaluating the Impact of the ‘Big Eat In’ – Final Report. 2011, ScotCen.

http://www.gcph.co.uk/assets/0000/0931/evaluating_the_impact_of_the_Big_Eat_In_final_report.pdf

Social determinants of health and well-being among young people. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study: International report from the 2009/2010 survey.

Currie C et al., eds. Copenhagen, WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2012 (Health Policy for Children and Adolescents, No. 6).

http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/163857/Social-determinants-of-health-and-well-being-among-young-people.pdf

UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008/09 & 2009/10. Department of Health and Food Standards Agency, 2011.

http://www.natcen.ac.uk/media/175123/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-years-1-2-and-3.pdf

Takeaways Toolkit: Tools, interventions and case studies to help local authorities develop a response to the health impacts of fast-food takeaways, Greater London Authority, November 2013.

http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/environment/promoting-healthy-sustainable-food/london-boroughs/takeaways-toolkit

Children’s Food and Drink Purchasing Behaviour “Beyond the School Gate”: The Development of a Survey Module. ISRN Nutrition Volume 2013.

http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/nutrition/2013/501450/

Ask the children what they want. Children in Scotland, February 2014.

http://www.childreninscotland.org.uk/docs/pubs/AskTheChildrenFINALSmall.pdf

Beyond the School Gate: Lunch Survey. Young Scot, March 2014.

www.youngscot.net/healthyeating

Annex C: Key Tips for Healthy Catering Provision

Key catering tips for healthier food provision

Menu Planning – Ask suppliers for nutritional information and consider choosing food products that are lower in fats, salt and sugar

Meals – Base meals on starchy carbohydrates and include fruit, vegetables and oily fish

Base meals on starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, rice, oats and pasta – make sure wholegrains (e.g. wholemeal bread and flour) and available and promoted

Ensure vegetables (or salads) are part of a main meal and that fruit is offered or included in dishes

Include oily fish such as mackerel, sardines or salmon

Salt – The use of salt and salty ingredients should be kept to a minimum

Remove salt from tables; keep some separately for those that request it

Add less salt and salty ingredients to meals/recipes over time

Use salty ingredients such as stock, ketchup, mustard, gravy, seasoning packets and soy sauce sparingly

Avoid adding salt when boiling rice, pasta, potatoes or vegetables

Check the nutritional information from suppliers and choose lower salt varieties/versions of products

Fats and frying – Use lower fat products and alternatives to frying wherever possible

Offer to grill or bake food instead of frying

Use lean meat or mince; wherever possible trim excess fat from meat and remove skin from chicken

Use lower fat varieties or smaller amounts of high fat products such as cheese cream, milk, butter/spreads, yoghurt, mayonnaise and salad dressings

Use a healthier oil for frying such as rapeseed or sunflower which contain less saturated fat (<15g saturated fat per 100g)If you deep fry, for best results:

- Heat the oil to the correct temperature (175°C for chips)

- Shake, bang and hang the basket to drain off excess fat

- Sieve the oil after use, filter it regularly and change the oil before it foams or smokes

Portion size – Ensure portion sizes aren’t too large

Make sure portion sizes aren’t too generous. Have a set portion size for each ingredient and ensure that staff stick to them

Make small portions or children’s portions available to all customers where possible

Sugar – Provide alternatives to sugary foods and drinks

Sugar and sugary ingredients should be used sparingly

Water, low fat milk and low sugar drinks should be offered instead of full sugar soft drinks

Provision of confectionery, biscuits, cakes and pastries should be limited

Annex D: Membership of the Beyond the School Gate Working Group

Members

Name | Organisation
Shirley Beattie/Lesley Kirkwood | Education Scotland
Paul Birkin | Glasgow City Council
Helen Clark | Glasgow City Council
Lyndsey Clark | Fife Food and Health Group
Kerry Crichton | Education Scotland
Lynne Carter | Scottish Government
Robin Gourlay | Scottish Government
Beth Hall | COSLA
Claire Hislop (Chair) | NHS Health Scotland
Anne Lee | Healthy Living Award
Steven McCluskey | Moray Council
Allyson McCollum | NHS Borders
David McNeill | Young Scot
David Mitchell | East Ayrshire Council
Gillian Purdon | Food Standards Agency in Scotland

Secretariat

Name | Organisation
Leigh Edwardson | Scottish Government

Annex E: Self-Evaluation

Beyond the School Gate Self-evaluation: Tool for Recording Current and Planned Activities

There remains considerable scope to influence the food environment around schools and encourage children and young people to make healthier choices. This tool has been designed to support partners to review their current approach and consider what further action they can take. It is separated into four sections as follows, recognising the different roles partners can play to encourage healthier choices:

1. local authorities,
2. schools,
3. retailers, and
4. caterers.

This tool is intended to be of use to you and your organisation in the following ways:

To capture in one place a summary of current activity;

To note planned activity with timescales where appropriate;

To map out who your partners and stakeholders are;

To help identify opportunities for additional actions and possible gaps;

To help you plan, within your organisations and with partners.

Partners are encouraged to complete the section most relevant to them.

Please could you return a copy of your completed form to the Scottish Government by
30 June 2014. This will be used to create a representative baseline of current activity across Scotland. This tool is also available for download at:

www.scotland.gov.uk/health-beyond-the-school-gate

Please return forms by email to dietpolicy@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or by post to:

Diet Policy Team, Public Health Division, Area 3ES, St Andrew's House, Edinburgh EH1 3DG.

PARTNER

CURRENT ACTIVITY

NEXT STEPS AND FUTURE ACTIVITY

Use this column to record current activity, with associated timescales if possible.

Use this column to record planned activity, with associated timescales if possible. This may or may not be in response to the 'Beyond the School Gate' guidance.

LOCAL AUTHORITY

How are health improvement and support for healthier food choices near schools taken into account by your Community Planning Partnership?

How does the local authority use licensing powers to limit the operation of mobile food vans near schools?

How do you involve local schools, businesses and the wider community in the review of the local development plan?

How do you take account of public health during the planning application process?

How is action to support healthy food provision reflected in your Single Outcome Agreement?

What role does Environmental Health play to support healthy food provision near schools? This includes signposting to training and guidance available to support healthier food provision.

How does the local authority promote or raise awareness of initiatives which support healthier food provision amongst businesses, e.g. Healthy Living Award, Healthy Living Programme?

What other health promoting activity do you undertake which supports the promotion of a healthier food environment around schools?

How do you work with partners (e.g. NHS, schools, local businesses, parents) to encourage children and young people to make healthier food choices?

Do you undertake any local assessment or evaluation of initiatives to establish what works well and not so well? If so, please provide details

Name:

Position:

Department:

Local authority:

Date of completion:

PARTNER

CURRENT ACTIVITY

NEXT STEPS AND FUTURE ACTIVITY

Use this column to record current activity, with associated timescales if possible.

Use this column to record planned activity, with associated timescales if possible. This may or may not be in response to the 'Beyond the School Gate' guidance.

SCHOOL

Does the school operate or has it considered introducing a stay on site policy? If so please give details.

Has the school used or considered using alternative settings for school meal provision (e.g. café areas and huts)?

What offers, incentives and promotions do you use to encourage children and young people to remain on site and use school facilities?

How does your school support children and young people to make healthier food choices outside of school?

To what extent do you work with partners (e.g. local food outlets) to support children and young people to make healthier food choices outside of school?

To what extent, if any, do you engage with local retailers and caterers in relation to healthier food provision?

Do you undertake any assessment or evaluation to identify what works well and not so well in schools? (e.g. surveys if so, please provide details)

Name:

Position:

School:

Local authority:

Date of completion:

PARTNER

CURRENT ACTIVITY

NEXT STEPS AND FUTURE ACTIVITY

Use this column to record current activity, with associated timescales if possible.

Use this column to record planned activity, with associated timescales if possible. This may or may not be in response to the 'Beyond the School Gate' guidance.

RETAILERS

Has your business signed up to the Healthy Living Programme, and to which level – normal or Gold Standard?

If, yes, what are you currently doing or planning to do to maintain the normal standard or move to Gold Standard?

If you have not signed up the Healthy Living Programme, are you interested in this? And, if not, what are you reasons for this?

Describe any support you get from your buying group, cash & carry, local authority, trade association or Healthy Living Programme.

Where do get information and advice on diet and healthy eating to help inform practice in store?

Do you engage with local schools and what form does this engagement take?

What healthier options do you provide as part of any meal deals aimed at pupils?

How do you promote the purchase of healthier foods to children?

Name:

Position:

Name of establishment:

Local authority:

Date of completion:

PARTNER

CURRENT ACTIVITY

NEXT STEPS AND FUTURE ACTIVITY

Use this column to record current activity, with associated timescales if possible.

Use this column to record planned activity, with associated timescales if possible. This may or may not be in response to the 'Beyond the School Gate' guidance.

CATERERS

Has your business signed up to the Healthy Living Award, and to which level – normal or Gold Standard?

If, yes, what are you currently doing or planning to do to maintain the normal standard or move to Gold Standard?

If you have not signed up the Healthy Living Award, are you interested in this? And, if not, what are you reasons for this?

Describe any support you get from your franchise company, catering supplier, local authority, trade association or Healthy Living Award team.

Do you engage with local schools and what form does this engagement take?

What healthier options do you provide as part of any meal deals aimed at pupils?

How do you promote the purchase of healthier foods to children? Do you have specific children's menus?

Where do get information and advice on diet to help inform practice?

Name:

Position:

Name of establishment:

Local authority:

Date of completion:

Footnotes

1 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/03/1606/0

2 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/03/17104457/2

3 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Healthy-Living/Food-Health/supportinghealthierchoices

4 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/06/25133322/0

5 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Healthy-Living/Food-Health/DietaryGoalsScot

6 http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/thecurriculum/whatiscurriculumforexcellence/

7 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/scottish-health-survey/Publications

8 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/09/3327/29

9 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/09/3327/29

10 http://www.foodbase.org.uk//admintools/reportdocuments/777-1-1329_FS424019_FINAL_Pt1.pdf

11 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0040/00402627.pdf

12 http://www.gcph.co.uk/assets/0000/0429/lit_review_edited.pdf

13 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/MealsSD/mealspesd/mealspesd2013

14 http://www.foodbase.org.uk//admintools/reportdocuments/777-1-1346_Final_report_part_2_FS424019.pdf

15 http://www.childreninscotland.org.uk/docs/pubs/AskTheChildrenFINALSmall.pdf

16 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/13/70

17 Ellaway A , Macdonald L, Lamb K, Thorton L, Day P and Pearce J: Do Obesity-promoting food environments cluster around socially disadvantaged schools in Glasgow, Scotland?; Health and place 2012 (18) 1335-1340

18 Glasgow Centre for Population Health (2012). Exploring the Nutritional Quality of "Out of School" Foods Popular with School Pupils

19 http://www.youngscot.net/healthyeating

20 http://www.gcph.co.uk/work_themes/theme_2_urban_health/young_people_urban_environment

21 http://www.gcph.co.uk/assets/0000/3539/Out_of_school_foods_report_-_final.pdf

22 http://www.food.gov.uk/scotland/scotnut/signposting/

23 http://www.scottishshop.org.uk/images/Guidelines_for_products.pdf

24 http://www.scottishshop.org.uk/images/Guidelines_for_products.pdf

25 http://www.foodbase.org.uk//admintools/reportdocuments/805-1-1460_Wave_2_Main_Report.pdf