Healthy Catering

Improving Health And Wellbeing Of Fans, Staff And Volunteers

Stadiums from all over Europe are visited by millions of people during the course of a season. With levels of obesity rising across Europe, catering facilities at sports venues is one area which clubs and stadium operators can focus on to improve the health and wellbeing of fans, staff and volunteers, contributing to revenue streams and the social responsibility profile of both clubs and their suppliers.

The Healthy Match Mark

According to a recent YouGov report (Sports Venue Catering 2016), two thirds (64%) of supporters who purchase food at stadia thought they would only be able to buy fast food and a similar proportion (63%) expected the food to be unhealthy. A further 59% of stadium visitors feel that food in sports venues is worse value for money than other food outlets.

Therefore, the Healthy Match Mark has been designed and developed by public health nutritionists from Healthy Stadia and supported by the British

Heart Foundation in order to assist professional sports clubs, its caterers and stadium operators to improve their catering offer.

The Healthy Match Mark focusses on match-day, concourse catering, but also takes into consideration corporate catering and takes the form of an online assessment. Key themes include healthier food options on sale; preparation and healthier cooking techniques; portion and condiment control; supply of healthier beverages; pricing and promotion. Guidance and examples are provided during the course of the assessment with structured support offered post-assessment.