Quality standard

Quality statement 1: Vending machines

Quality statement 1: Vending machines

Quality statement

Children and young people, and their parents or carers, using vending machines in local authority and NHS venues can buy healthy food and drink options.

Rationale

The environment in which people live influences their ability to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Local authorities and NHS organisations can set an example by providing healthy food and drink choices at their venues. They can influence venues in the community (such as leisure centres) and services provided by commercial organisations to have a positive impact on the diet of children and young people using them. Legal requirements govern the provision of food in local authority‑maintained schools (see the Department of Education's Standards for school food in England for further details). Schools are therefore not covered by this quality statement.

Quality measures

Structure

Evidence that local authorities and NHS organisations provide, or make contractual arrangements for the provision of, healthy food and drink options in any vending machines in their venues that are used by children and young people.

Data source: Local data collection.

Process

Proportion of local authority and NHS venues used by children and young people with vending machines that have vending machines that contain healthy food and drink options.

Numerator – the number in the denominator that have vending machines that contain healthy food and drink options.

Denominator – the number of local authority and NHS venues used by children and young people with vending machines.

Data source: Local data collection.

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Local authorities and NHS organisations ensure that any vending machines in their venues that are used by children and young people offer healthy food and drink options.

Children and young people (and their parents or carers) have a choice of healthy food and drink options available from vending machines in local authority and NHS venues (for example hospitals, clinics and leisure centres).

Source guidance

Definitions of terms used in this quality statement

Healthy food and drink

Food and drink that helps people to meet the Public Health England Eatwell plate guidance recommendations, and which does not contain high levels of salt, fat, saturated fat or sugar. Public Health England's Healthier, more sustainable catering: information for those involved in purchasing food and drink provides definitions for low, medium and high levels of fat, saturates, sugars and salt per portion/serving size for food and drink. The Change4Life website gives suggestions for healthy food and drink alternatives. [Expert consensus]