Louise Loftus Scots eating out will have even healthier options to choose from today, with the launch of a new award to promote food outlets offering wholesome menus.
Consumer Focus Scotland will present a "healthyliving plus" award to restaurants, takeaways and cafes which make more than two-thirds of their selection low in fat, sugar and salt.
Ministers hope the scheme, funded by the Scottish Government, will make it easier for consumers to eat healthily, and help Scotland shake off its reputation as the cholesterol capital of Europe.
Public Health Minister Shona Robison yesterday praised the existing healthyliving award, and said the new standard was the natural next step.
She said: "Through the healthyliving award, many of Scotland's food and drink outlets have shown a clear commitment to offer healthy options. Following on from this success, I believe healthyliving plus will help encourage these outlets to go further and introduce an even greater array of healthier choices."
More than 1200 organisations have applied for the existing award since its launch in October 2006, and almost 600 of these have been accredited after making at least half of their menu a healthyliving choice.
To qualify for the higher-level label, the proportion of healthy options must be a minimum of 70% and must be promoted over less healthy options.In addition, application will be open only to outlets that have "demonstrated a clear commitment to healthier eating" by holding the original award for a full two years.
The scheme is said to set a new standard for health promotion in the UK, influencing local authorities in England to follow suit with initiatives such as Macclesfield Borough Council's Golden Apple.
The prize is not restricted to cafes and restaurants, and a diverse range of catering outlets have also been awarded healthyliving status by the Scottish Government, from Shotts Prison in North Lanarkshire to the Scott oil-drilling platform off the coast of Aberdeen.
Claire Brown, project manager of the healthyliving programme, said: "We've been delighted by the response from caterers to the healthyliving award, which continues to go from strength to strength more than two and a half years on from its launch.
"We developed the new award to allow food outlets which have held the award for a full term to demonstrate the depth of their commitment to healthy eating.
"Caterers who qualify for the new award will be at the cutting edge of health promotion not just in Scotland but in the UK as a whole.
"Scotland was the first part of Great Britain to offer a healthy eating accreditation of this standard, and we're proud to be leading the way again."
To qualify for either standard, caterers must meet a set of key criteria, which includes a commitment to providing and supporting healthier eating that is demonstrated by the menu selection, the way food is prepared and the manner of presenting and selling produce. The healthy options must be prepared using both healthy ingredients and healthy cooking methods, and wholesome and nutritious food must be available for juniors in places where children are served.
Already four food outlets in Fife, Edinburgh and Ayr, which participated in the pilot programme prior to the official launch, have been awarded the new status.
Feedback from the pilot project is reported to have been positive, with customers showing enthusiasm for the wider range of healthy options available.
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