Healthier food options for Blacktown City Council’s five aquatic and leisure centres

A partnership between Blacktown City Council and Western Sydney Local Health District will see a policy launched which makes healthier food and drink choices available in Council’s five aquatic and leisure centres.

The policy means that patrons of these venues can expect 75% of kiosk menu items to be produced from whole foods (e.g. grains, vegetables and lean meats, etc.) alongside recommended serving sizes of other menu items like processed food (e.g. pastries and confectionary items).

The collaboration has been over two years in the making, with the consultation of the Australian guide for healthy eating and local community research to find healthier options that patrons of the venues will enjoy.

Blacktown City Council’s aquatic and leisure centres are some of the first in NSW to implement a policy that encourages healthier food and drink choices.

The Mayor of Blacktown City, Tony Bleasdale shared “by having healthier options on our menus, we are allowing our patrons to make smarter health choices for themselves and their families.

“Good nutrition allows adults to have more energy, making it easier to stay fit and active. Children who eat well will also have energy for playing sports and activities, as well as helping them concentrate, learn, and support growth and development."

Western Sydney Local Health District’s Centre for Population Health Director, Dr Shopna Bag, congratulated Council’s commitment to improving local food environments and added “when this project commenced, we heard from nearly 600 leisure centre staff and visitors, with almost 60% reporting they wanted to be able to buy healthy food and drinks when they visited a Centre.

“Blacktown City Council is taking the lead in improving food choices; importantly recognising that local community hubs such as leisure centres play a role, not only in providing the opportunities for physical activity, but also in providing supportive environments that enable healthy choices to be made."

New food and drink options will be rolled out across all of Blacktown’s aquatic and leisure centres, starting with Blacktown Leisure Centre Stanhope.

Image (Left to right): Cr Bob Fitzgerald OAM, Dr Shopna Bag (Director Centre of Population Health, Western Sydney Local District Health), Mayor of Blacktown City Tony Bleasdale OAM, Cr Dr Moninder Singh, Deputy Mayor of Blacktown Chris Quilkey and Michelle Nolan (Director Health Promotion, Western Sydney Local District Health).