Top Jozi restaurants sign Healthy Food Pledge

23-04-2015

 

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau’s dream of seeing fitter and healthier residents is edging closer to reality after more than 20 top restaurants and fast food franchises signed the City’s Healthy Food Pledge in Sandton on Wednesday.
 

By signing the pledge, the food establishments – including leading franchises such as Adegas, Ocean Basket, Spur, The Butcher Shop and Wimpy – have committed themselves to offering residents a healthier option to their usual menus.

The pledge’s minimum requirements were developed by the University of Johannesburg’s School of Tourism and Hospitality and the SA Chefs Association, which also established the South African Guide for Healthy Eating.
 

This initiative forms part of the City’s Healthy Lifestyle Programme, launched by the Mayor in May 2012 to increase the city’s life expectancy by tackling non-communicable diseases.

The call for restaurants and other eateries to introduce healthy menus in their businesses came after a study by Statistics SA showed that about 40% of South Africans were overweight or obese.

The programme is in line with the City’s Growth and Development Strategy 2040, which seeks to have chronic-free and healthy communities by 2040.
 

Speaking at the launch on Wednesday, Mayor Tau said the retail sector committed itself to the food pledge and to helping curb the high rate of lifestyle diseases following his State of the City Address last year.

“Your presence here today shows your commitment to the City’s cause of giving our people a longer and healthier life. For that we are eternally grateful. Our clinics have seen an increase in the number of children who are as young as 10 or 11 years who suffer from diabetes,” he said.
 

“Today’s event forms part of the City’s wide range of programmes that present healthy choices in our communities. Through the Go Jozi Programme, residents are encouraged to embark on fun walks, cycle, do aerobics and, once a year, go for screening to encourage a healthy lifestyle. We have also introduced a weight loss challenge in recreational systems,” Mayor Tau said.
 

The food establishments that signed the pledge have committed themselves to elevating food standards, training their employees and ensuring that consumers have a healthier option when they order their food.
 

Participating outlets will display a mayoral plaque in their businesses to show their commitment to the programme.

Tsogo Sun chef and SA Chefs Association’s representative, James Khoza, said residents now had a choice when it came to menus offered by the participating restaurants.
 

“We should not talk about it. We need to walk it,” he said.

Owner of Nambitha Restaurant in Orlando, Soweto  Jabulani Vilakazi, said: “By offering our patrons healthier meal options, we are investing in their longer life and continued business. This is a win-win.”

Member of the Mayoral Committee for Health and Social Development Councillor Nonceba Molwele said she had lost 10kg over two years after embarking on a healthy lifestyle programme.