Health Department Launches “Good Choice” Initiative to Make
it Easier for Food Distributors to Highlight Healthier Products
Sysco, US Foods and Driscoll Foods commit to highlighting healthier products
for their customers
The Health Department announced a new initiative, called “Good Choice,” to help food distributors highlight healthier items for their customers. Food distributors committing to Good Choice will systematically identify products that meet nutrition criteria in their ordering guides for customers. In turn, their customers, including restaurants, hospitals, senior centers and day care centers, can more easily find and purchase healthier ingredients. Distributors committed to the Good Choice initiative include: Sysco Metro NY, Sysco Long Island, the Metro NY Division of US Foods and Driscoll Foods. This innovative, voluntary initiative addresses healthier food options at the distributor or wholesale level – a part of the food supply that is invisible to most consumers, but critical to ensuring that healthier options are available while eating out at restaurants.
The Good Choice nutrition criteria include 25 food categories, such as: sliced bread, luncheon meat and soup, and are based on the NYC Food Standards. These standards were established in 2008 for more than 200 million meals and snacks served by all public hospitals and City agencies, including senior and daycare centers serving meals and snacks. Since 2008, many private hospitals in New York City have voluntarily adopted the NYC Food Standards. The Good Choice initiative evolved out of the Health Department’s work to support City agencies and hospitals implementing these standards. Through that process, the Health Department gained valuable insight into how to help organizations address the challenge of identifying healthier products.
“The Health Department is committed to making healthier options available to all New Yorkers,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett. “Many hospitals and restaurants would like to offer healthier products to their customers, but it can be time consuming for them to figure out what exactly is a good choice. By looking for products that meet Good Choice criteria, foodservice venues can easily and quickly select healthier options for their customers.”
“Sysco has, and always will be, committed to ways to meet our customers’ needs,” said Mike Scanlon, president, Sysco Metro New York. “Our customers want healthier options driven by a public that demands it, and Good Choice helps us meet that demand.”
“US Foods is committed to making life easier for customers and Good Choice helps us reach that goal,” said James O’Brien, director of healthcare for the Metro NY Division of US Foods. “By identifying products in our inventory that meet Good Choice criteria, it makes it even easier for our healthcare customers seeking out healthier options.”
“We are proud to bring food to schools and daycare facilities in the Tri-State area and take that responsibility very seriously,” said Bill Ander, business development manager, Driscoll Foods. “Good Choice helps fulfill our customers demand for healthier options and we’re excited to partner with the New York City Health Department on this important initiative.”
Good Choice nutrition criteria includes limits on calories, fat, sugar, and sodium. The majority of Good Choice categories (17 of 25) address sodium limits given the high intake of sodium in the American diet and the related health risks. For example, salads are often seen as a healthier alternative, but salad dressings can vary greatly in terms of sodium content – some salad dressings contain over 400 mg sodium per serving. To meet Good Choice criteria, salad dressings must contain 290 mg sodium or less per serving. This difference may seem insignificant, but the higher sodium dressing makes up about 15 percent of a person’s daily sodium allowance in just 1 ounce of dressing – and many people use two to three times this amount on one salad. Convenience food, including frozen entrees, sides, and breakfast meats, is another category that is often high in sodium. To meet Good Choice criteria, these foods should contain 480 mg sodium or less per serving. Sliced sandwich bread must be at least 50 percent whole grain, contain at least 2 grams of fiber per slice and contain 180 mg of sodium or less per slice to be considered a “Good Choice.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 90 percent of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet. Almost 80 percent of the sodium in American diets comes from processed foods. Data also shows that a majority of consumers are interested in healthier options when they go out to eat. According to the National Restaurant Association, seven out of 10 consumers say they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers healthy options. Eighty-four percent of restaurant operators say their customers are paying more attention to nutrition when they order.
The evaluation of this initiative is supported in part by a CDC three-year cooperative agreement to increase the availability and accessibility of healthier foods and to reduce sodium intake. Distributors play an important role in helping their customers find and purchase healthier food options. While distributors can offer products that meet Good Choice criteria to all of their customers, the Health Department is evaluating use of Good Choice with up to 35 City agencies and hospitals to see if Good Choice helps increase the availability and amount of lower-sodium products purchased.
New York City has a comprehensive approach to changing the food environment and is committed to increasing awareness among New Yorkers about good nutrition and healthy food options by improving the availability of healthy food and educating New Yorkers about the importance of a healthy diet.
View the Good Choice nutrition criteria. For more information, search “Good Choice” at nyc.gov.