When it comes to sport, eating healthy food helps our kids and communities to have the right energy and achieve success on and off the field. That’s why we need more fresh, healthy food in our sporting clubs.
But it’s not easy when our kids and community are surrounded in public places and online by relentless and pervasive marketing of food and drinks with cheap ingredients like salt, sugar and fat, from the food industry.
This behaviour is harming our health and is a key contributor to 1 in 4 Australian kids being above a healthy weight.
Providing and promoting delicious healthy food and drinks gives our kids and communities the fuel they need to perform at their best.
The A Better Choice Food and Drink Supply Strategy for Queensland Sport and Recreation Facilities aims to enhance the availability of healthier food and beverage options within sports clubs and facilities.
How to get involved
By implementing the A Better Choice Food and Drink Supply Strategy for Queensland Sport and Recreation Facilities, sporting clubs and facilities can play a role in fostering the growth of healthy and vibrant young people and communities. This approach emphasizes the synergy between physical activity and nutritious eating, fostering a legacy that champions the well-being of children and communities.
A Better Choice for Sport and Recreation is applicable to all organised sporting activities and facilities in Queensland’s Sport and Recreation sector that offer or promote food and beverage options, including sponsorship arrangements. This encompasses:
- Community sports and recreation clubs and associations
- Major sporting stadiums
- Sport and recreation centers
- Leisure and aquatic facilities, and
- Organized outdoor recreational activities or events.
There is an opportunity to introduce A Better Choice in any venue, setting, or circumstance where food and/or beverages are sold, provided, promoted, or advertised to players, spectators, volunteers, and staff.
A suite of free resources is available to support sport settings to successfully implement A Better Choice for Sport and Recreation. The resources include healthier food and drink idea factsheets, tips on promoting healthier options, case studies, and more.
Resource submitted by Amy Wakem, Public Health Nutritionist, Health and Wellbeing Queensland
