South Eastern Regional College Achieves Calorie Wise Gold Awards

South Eastern Regional College (SERC) has achieved a Calorie Wise Gold Award at their restaurants in Newtownards and Bangor.  

The Willows Restaurant in SERC’s Ards campus and the Scribbles Restaurant in the Bangor campus have both been recognised with a Calorie Wise Gold Award for displaying calorie information on their menus.   

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Alderman Bill Keery, said:  

“I was delighted to present the Calorie Wise Gold Award to the catering facilities at SERC’s Bangor and Newtownards campuses. By helping consumers make more informed choices when eating outside of the home, SERC is contributing to their health and wellbeing.”  

“Ards and North Down Borough Council is committed to creating a healthier borough for all our residents and I urge local businesses to work with the Council’s Environmental Health Department if they’re interested in gaining a Calorie Wise Award.”  

He added: “Thanks must go to all staff for their commitment to the Calorie Wise Scheme and congratulations to SERC on gaining the award.”

Calorie Wise is a scheme developed by the Food Standards Agency and district councils in Northern Ireland. It encourages food businesses to display calorie information on their menus, enabling customers to make informed food choices when eating out and on the go.  

The innovative scheme hopes to meet the growing demand for calorie labelling which can positively affect food and drink choices and calories consumed.

Commenting on receiving the award, Paul Mercer, Deputy Head of School of Hospitality Management, Tourism and Languages at SERC, said:

“SERC has been working hard to implement an effective healthy eating strategy since September 2019 and we are delighted to be the first college in Northern Ireland to achieve two Calorie Wise Gold Awards for our Newtownards and Bangor campuses.”

“Part of our initiative is to ensure that students and staff feel motivated to make their own well-informed choices when it comes to their daily eating habits, and the Calorie Wise scheme has been vital in supporting those decisions.”  

“We have seen promising changes since implementing the scheme in the college and are striving to achieve Gold Awards for our other campuses with the support of our catering teams as well as Ards and North Down Council and the Foods Standards Agency.”

Welcoming this achievement in relation to the Calorie Wise Scheme, Maria Jennings, Director of Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland, said:

“Displaying calorie information empowers customers to make informed choices and encourage healthy eating. We encourage all catering businesses to work with their local council and the FSA to implement Calorie Wise in their restaurants, canteens and cafes across Northern Ireland.”  

For more information on the scheme and how to participate, visit www.food.gov.uk/CalorieWise or contact Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Environmental Health Department on 0300 013 3333 or email FoodEnquiries@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk.