The Food4Health Awards scheme is an initiative created by Middlesbrough Council’s Public Protection service to help local food businesses to meet consumer demand for healthier foods and to raise awareness of the need to have a healthy diet.
Businesses that offer healthy food and promote healthy eating can achieve either a Bronze, Silver or Gold award of which Café VI has been awarded Gold.
The Sixth Form centre café, which gives students the opportunity to learn life skills such as handling money and communicating with customers, have implemented a loyalty card scheme which encourages customers to choose healthier options, as well as reducing sugar in all their cakes and baking to ensure customers are supported to make healthier choices.
Ann Titchener, Head of Sixth Form at Beverley School, said: “As a school we realise the importance of establishing healthy eating habits and we have enjoyed being creative with our cafe menu to reflect this.
“We have adapted our popular recipes to make them as healthy as possible and introduced new healthier options which have all been very popular with students and staff.
“We are really pleased to have our cafe recognised by the Food4Health scheme and to receive the Gold Award.”
Councillor Julia Rostron, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, said: “We know that healthy eating and personal development are very closely linked.
“This is why we work closely with our schools, academies and higher education establishments to support their efforts to help students maintain good health and wellbeing.
“The Food4Health initiative has helped to improve the diet of many people in Middlesbrough and Café VI is to be congratulated for its commitment to providing healthy alternatives and its commitment to supporting the nutritional needs of our young people.”
