Ten local takeaway businesses in Aylesbury and High Wycombe are helping local people make healthier food choices through a new initiative supported by Buckinghamshire Council’s Public Health team.

The ‘Good Food Takeaway’ scheme encourages takeaway businesses to offer healthier menu options, make them more visible to customers and ensure they are affordable. The project forms part of the Council’s wider Healthy School Neighbourhood programme, which focuses on creating healthier environments for children and families, particularly around schools.

The aim is not to tell people what they should eat, but to make it easier for customers to choose healthier options if they want to.

Participating businesses are:

Aylesbury

· BGR Boy

· Oasis

· Hot Box Pizza

· The Chip Co

· Chicken Cottage

High Wycombe

· K’s Peri Peri

· Desi Karahi

· Smarts Takeaway

· Azimi’s Pizza

· H&Z Grill

Cllr Isobel Darby, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said:

“By working collaboratively with takeaways, we’re helping make healthier choices more visible, accessible and appealing. It also shows how our local businesses can play an important role in supporting community health.

“The project team found that the majority of participating businesses recognised the importance of promoting healthier choices and were keen to support the initiative from the outset.”

Rice Marketing have been appointed by the council to work up the scheme with businesses. Their Director Stephanie Rice said:

“One of the most encouraging aspects of this project has been the level of engagement from local businesses. Many owners told us that offering and promoting healthier choices was simply the right thing to do for their customers and community. Their commitment has been instrumental in the success of the initiative.”

Naveed, owner of BGR Boy, said:

“We’re proud to be part of the Good Food Takeaway initiative. It’s given us the opportunity to expand our menu with a Better Choice Range, making healthier options more visible and giving customers even more choice. We’ve really enjoyed working with the team and are pleased to be supporting the health and wellbeing of our local community while continuing to serve the quality food we’re known for.”

The Healthy School Neighbourhood project is part of the Opportunity Bucks programme and is working with schools, communities, businesses and local partners to create healthier, safer and more supportive environments for children and families across the county.