What is the green light, eat right program?
Traffic lights and choices
Pilot program
Municipality
Vending machines
Contact us
What is the green light, eat right program?
Green Light Eat Right (GLER) is a program aimed at improving the range and access to nutritious food in the City of Melbourne. The program enables consumers to make more informed food choices.
A criteria based on a traffic light system is used to assess and label food according to either, Green (Healthiest Choice), Amber (Ok choice) or Red (Less Healthy Choice).
The program commenced as a pilot with food businesses at the QV Urban Market, and has expanded to include Vending Machines and Recreation Centre kiosks.
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Traffic lights and choices
To help you make healthier choices, foods have been classified according to their nutritional value:
Green – healthiest choice
These foods are the best choice for everyday because they:
- are often high in nutrients and fibre
- are low in saturated fat and / or sugar and / or salt
- help to avoid an excess kilojoule intake.
The majority of your daily food intake should comprise these foods.
Amber – ok choice
These foods should be selected carefully because they:
- are moderate in added fat and / or sugar and / or salt
- contribute to excess kilojoules if consumed in large serving sizes
- provide limited nutritional value.
The foods in this category are mainly processed foods and therefore should be consumed in moderation.
Red – less healthy choice
These foods are the least suitable as, generally, they:
- are very low in nutritional value
- are high in saturated fat and / or sugar and / or salt
- provide excess kilojoules
Essentially, the consumption of these foods should be restricted.
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Food outlets
Pilot program - QV Urban Market
The City of Melbourne and Nutrition Australia worked with participating food outlets in the QV Urban Market to help improve the nutritional quality of their menus and enable consumers to make better food choices.
The Green Light, Eat Right program commenced as a pilot program, and is the first in Australia to introduce a traffic light colour coding system into the public food domain.
It has included the introduction of a traffic light colour coded system to help consumers quickly and easily recognise what menu items have maximum, average or poor nutritional value.
There were eight food outlets in the QV Urban Market that participated in the green light, eat right pilot program within the QV Urban Market.
Participating food outlets went through a rigorous accreditation system with leading peak industry body, Nutrition Australia, which has included having every menu item analysed and making changes accordingly to improve the healthiness of their menus.
This process included changing the types of cooking oils used, swapping full-fat dairy products for low-fat, using more lean meats and introducing more fresh fruits and vegetables into their menus.
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Municipality
In addition to food outlets, community spaces were targeted within the municipality to transition their kiosks and canteens. These included:
- City of Melbourne recreation centres
- YMCA sites
- hospitals / universities
- school community.
Vending Machines
The Green Light, Eat Right program has expanded to include healthy snack vending machines. City of Melbourne has partnered with Snack Savvy Vending and installed two vending machines – one located at Melbourne City Baths and one at the North Melbourne Recreation Centre.
Contact us
For further information on Green Light, Eat Right, please contact the Health Projects Team on 9658 9658.
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