National Programmes and Initiatives

The Welsh Network of Healthy Schools Schemes 

These encourage the development of local healthy school schemes within a common national framework. These in turn encourage the development of health promoting schools in their area. Currently over 1200 schools are actively involved and the Welsh Assembly Government has a commitment to extend the scheme to all maintained schools by March 2010. For more information, please visit the website.

Physical Activity Programmes and Initiatives

The Free Swimming Initiative

The Welsh Assembly Government is funding free swimming in Wales for:

• Children and young people aged 16 and under during all school holidays; and  
• Older People aged 60 and over outside school holidays.

The Free Swimming initiative is aimed at increasing participation in physical activity and improving health and well-being by improving access to local authority leisure services.

The Free Swimming initiative is being managed by Sports Council for Wales, for more information please visit the free swimming pages for older people and younger people on the Sports Council Wales website.

The PE and School Sport (PESS) Project

This was set up in 2000 as a result of a task force report outlining the key actions required to improve standards of PE.
The project aims to raise standards in physical education by making sure that all schools meet a number of set targets to improve standards of physical education. Certain areas of the curriculum have been identified as requiring concentrated support to develop national resources and/or approaches. These have developed into national specialist projects.
The PESS project is managed by the Sports Council for Wales on behalf of the Welsh Assembly. For more information, and to view the set targets, please visit the PESS pages at the Sports Council for Wales Website.

ActiveMarc Cymru

This is awarded to schools that can demonstrate a commitment to developing high quality PE and School Sport. When a school commits to applying for an ActiveMarc Cymru award, it engages in a process of self evaluation whereby strengths and areas for development are identified. For more information and to apply for ActiveMarc Cymru please visit the ActiveMarc Cymru page on the Sports Council for Wales website.

Dragon Sport

Dragon Sport is a Sports Council for Wales initiative funded by the National Lottery, designed to offer 7-11 year olds fun and enjoyable sporting opportunities. The scheme opens up sports for children who may not have the opportunities to take part outside of their school P.E. lessons, using versions of the adult games adapted for different skills and abilities. For more information please visit www.dragonsport.co.uk.

Let’s Walk Cymru

This is a Wales-wide initiative which aims to increase the number of people participating in walking as a regular activity.
The programme is targeting the inactive population, and those who will benefit the most. For more information on the scheme, and to apply for funding or training courses, please visit the Lets Walk Cymru Website www.lets-walk-cymru.org.uk.

Welsh Backs

This is a multimedia initiative that engages with the general public, health professionals and employers to raise awareness of the message: Don't take back pain lying down’. For more information on Welsh backs, please visit www.welshbacks.com.

Nutrition Programmes and Initiatives

Primary School Free Breakfast Initiative

The Welsh Assembly Government have introduced the Primary School Free Breakfast Initiative which aims to provide all primary school aged children, registered in maintained primary schools in Wales, with the opportunity to receive a free, healthy breakfast each school day.

Healthy Start

Pregnant women and children in families in receipt of a qualifying benefit are entitled to Healthy Start vouchers which can be exchanged for a range of healthy foods, including liquid cow’s milk, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and cows based infant formula suitable from birth. 

Healthy Options Award Scheme for Catering Establishments

Local authorities, Food Standards Agency Wales, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and the National Public Health Service have worked in partnership to develop an all-Wales Healthy Options Award.

The award, which is based on a scheme that was developed by Caerphilly County Borough Council, was launched on 1 April following a successful pilot. It encourages catering premises to provide healthier options to customers through employment of healthier catering practices and by providing meals more in balance with the Eatwell plate model. It also recognises provision of healthy options for children, rewards staff training and marketing of these healthier options.

Catering premises in possession of a food hygiene award are eligible to be assessed for the Award, which has 3 tiers bronze, silver and gold. In the first month following the launch around 30 catering premises were presented a Healthy Options award by local authorities across Wales. There is a commitment to evaluate the scheme after the first year.

Materials for delivery of the award can be accessed from the CIEH website.  

Food Product reformulation

Produce reformulation has taken place to reduce the salt and fat content of manufactured foods. Working with the food industry and other stakeholders, the Food Standards Agency has a target to reduce the salt intake of the population to 6g per person per day by 2010. Since 2003, the Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health have been working with the food industry to secure reductions in the amount of salt in a wide range of foods. This has focused particularly on processed foods as these contribute about 75% to people's salt intakes. For more information visit the Salt Is Your Food Full of It website.

A Food Standards Agency review of the evidence on trans fats   showed that voluntary action by the UK food industry has already delivered consumer benefits equivalent to the most restrictive legislation. Therefore, alongside continued monitoring of consumer intakes of trans fats, the FSA's priority should be to work with industry on its reformulation of foods to reduce saturated fat levels. The Agency will also continue to encourage consumers to choose a diet that is low in saturated fat.

Food Labelling

The Food Standards Agency recommends a consistent approach to front of pack food labelling that will provide 'at a glance' information on labels about the nutritional content of foods through the use of traffic lights. For more information visit the Food Standards Agency website signposting section.

European Commission’s Proposal for a Food Information Regulation Council Working Group meeting

Final Report on Front of Pack Labelling Published

An independent group of experts have been evaluating front of pack (FOP) nutrition labelling and published their report on 6 May 2009.

The report concluded that: 

• A single FOP scheme would be most helpful for shoppers 
• Overall, the balance of evidence demonstrated that the strongest FOP label is one which combines use of the words 'high, medium, and low', traffic light colours and percentage of Guideline Daily Amount (GDA), in addition to levels of nutrients in a portion of the product. 
• Shoppers who use FOP labels value them
• There is a generally high level of understanding of FOP labels, even among those who don't tend to use them.

For more inforamation or to download the report visit http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2009/may/pmp.  

Food Standards Agency Board Agrees Single Front of Pack Label Plan

The Food Standards Agency's (FSA) Board, at an open meeting held in Cardiff on 10 March, agreed to the implementation of a single approach to front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling that will best help consumers make healthier choices when they buy food.

Food businesses will be encouraged to use all three elements found by independent research to help UK consumers interpret nutritional information: traffic light colours (red, amber and green), text (high, medium or low) and percentage Guideline Daily Amounts (% GDAs).

An independent evaluation of the effectiveness of these schemes was published in May 2009. This robust study found that the co-existence of different FOP labels confused consumers, particularly the use of different colours. It concluded that the words 'high, medium and low' were understood best, and combining this text with traffic light colours and percentage % GDAs would enable more people to make healthier choices easily. Consumers in 'citizens' forums' subsequently run by the Agency shared this view but particularly liked traffic light colours as an 'at a glance' cue.

The FSA will advise Ministers of its recommendations before undertaking a four to six week consultation on the technical guidance that will be needed to implement the Board's recommendations.

For more information please visit www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2010/mar/fopagreement.  

TV Advertising

In February 2007 Ofcom the independent regulator of television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications in the UK published its final statement on television advertising of food and drink products to children.

The final statement outlined a total ban, at all times and on all channels on the advertising of high fat sugar and salt (HFSS) products in or adjacent to programmes which have particular appeal to children under 16 years of age. In addition Ofcom proposes that additional restrictions should be imposed on advertisement content. It is outlined that advertisers promoting HFSS products should not be able to:

• show advertisements targeted at primary school children which use celebrities or characters licensed from third parties and which are popular with children  
• use promotional activity such as free gifts in advertisements targeted at primary school children  
• make nutritional or health claims in advertisements targeted at primary school children.